\  **•»  »- 

\       '  fe^y 

»/3          ; 

UJ  fv^  •I1"        f  ' 


S  F  O  R  Z  A 


S  F  O  R  Z  A 


A     STORY     OF     MILAN 


WILLIAM    WALDORF    ASTOR 

AUTHOR    OK    "  VAI.KN'TINO  " 


NEW   YORK 
:  H  A  R  L  K  S    S  C  R 1 P,  N  K  R '  S    SONS 

MDCCCLXXXIX 


COPYRIGHT,  1889,  BY 
WILLIAM   WALDORF   ASTOR. 


Press  of  J.  J.  Little  &  Co 
Astor  Place,  New  York. 


TO   MY   DEAR   WIFE. 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER    I. 

PAGE 

The  School  of  the  Svord / 


CHAPTER    II. 
Invasion  .....................................     16 

CHAPTER    III. 
Isabel!  e  of  Aragon  ..........    .................     55 


CHAPTER    IV. 

The  Marriage  of  tbe  Sea 


CHAPTER  V. 
Tbe  Star  Chamber  .............................     75 


vfii  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  VI. 

PAGE 

Between  the  Red  Pillars 93 

CHAPTER   VII. 
A  Prophecy  of  the  Stars /  /  / 

CHAPTER   VIII. 
A  Revelation 729 

CHAPTER    IX. 
The  Hall  of  the  Signoria 146 

CHAPTER   X. 
Lago  Lario 163 

CHAPTER   XI. 

Festa  del/'  Ottobrata 180 

CHAPTER   XII. 
Le  Chevalier  Bayard /  99 

CHAPTER    XIII. 

The  Monastery  of  Divine  Love 218 


CONTEXTS.  ix 
CHAPTER    XIV. 

PAGE 

A;:  Alcbemic  Magnet 257 

CHAPTER    XV. 

The  Faith  of  the  Swiss 257 

Conclusion  275 


SFORZA. 


CHAPTER   I. 

THE    SCHOOL    OF   THE    SWORD. 

A  FINE  breezy  July  morning  had  dawned  upon 
Milan.  At  the  market  prevailed  a  hubbub  of 
sounds  that  had  begun  with  the  arrival  of  the 
earliest  contadini  :  before  the  inns,  ostlers  and  ser 
vants  chatted  and  laughed  as  they  worked  ;  at  the 
half-finished  Duomo,  the  people  streamed  in  and 
out,  pausing  in  the  cool,  incensed  air  of  the  aisles 
to  touch  a  finger-tip  in  holy  water  ;  on  the  piazza 
d'armi,  a  regiment  of  gaudily-attired  soldiers 
marched  and  wheeled  with  drumbeat  and  bugle- 
note  ;  and  along  the  quiet  banks  of  the  little  Olona 
some  boatmen  towed  and  punted  their  barges  with 
fantastic  snatches  of  song. 

The  year  1499  had  opened  with  lowering  aspect. 
Louis  the  Twelfth  of  France,  eager  to  efface  the 
discredit  of  his  arms,  had  avowed  his  purpose  of 
scourging  Ludovico  Sforza,  Duke  of  Milan,  for  a 
scheming  adroitness  which,  five  years  before,  had 


%  SFOliZA. 

caused  the  military  misfortunes  of  Charles  the 
Eighth.  To  secure  the  advantage  of  a  diversion 
upon  his  subtle  antagonist,  he  had  signed  a  treaty 
with  the  Venetians,  whereby  they  were  to  make  an 
irruption  upon  the  frontier  of  Lombardy,  while  the 
French  army,  composed  of  knights,  arquebusiers, 
Swiss  pikemen,  and  an  artillery  train  of  thirty 
bronze  cannon,  should  pass  the  Alps  and  cleave  its 
way  to  Milan.  The  approach  of  so  formidable  a 
host  might  have  gladdened  the  Milanese  with  the 
prospect  of  quick  riddance  of  their  usurping  duke, 
but  for  the  dread  of  men  whose  cruelties  had 
touched  half  Italy  with  suffering ;  and  so,  as  suc 
cessive  couriers  announced  the  gathering  of  the 
French  in  Dauphine,  and  their  concentration  in 
Piedmont,  the  fickle  populace  knew  not  whether  to 
tremble  or  to  rejoice. 

Walking  leisurely  along  one  of  the  principal 
streets,  with  an  eye  to  any  bright  face  that  might 
peep  from  gable  or  carved  balcony,  went  a  young 
man  named  Hermes  Sforza,  whose  air  and  dress 
betokened  him  to  be  of  the  luxurious  aristocracy. 
His  costume  was  of  striped  blue  and  white  satin, 
with  a  cap  set  with  diamonds  on  his  head  ;  at  his 
left  wrist  tinkled  three  slender  bracelets,  and  his 
long  hair  was  heavily  perfumed  and  bound  in  a 
gauze  net,  after  the  fashion  of  Spain.  He  turned 
into  an  unfrequented  by-way,  down  which  an  indi 
vidual  of  much  his  own  attire,  though  of  more 


THE  SCHOOL    OF   THK   SWORD.  3 

advanced  age,  came  sauntering.  A  smile  illumined 
Sforza's  face  at  the  sight,  and,  quickening  his  step, 
he  saluted  the  other  with  patronizing  effusion. 

"  Is  it  indeed  you,  Messer  Bernardino '? "  he  began, 
speaking  his  native  Italian  with  a  Spanish  accent, 
which  was  the  fashionable  affectation  of  the  period. 
"  I  am  glad  of  our  meeting  ;  you  shall  tell  me  the 
news  ;  you  know  I  have  been  back  but  a  day,  there 
fore  return  a  step  with  me  ;  we  will  talk  as  we  go. 
Narvaez  awaits  me — how  I  long  to  cross  rapiers 
with  him  again! 

The  individual  thus  addressed  halted  at  the 
greeting,  and  answered  with  a  smile  : 

"  You  look  jovial  as  ever,  Hermes  ;  the  moist 
English  climate  does  not  dampen  the  spirits,  it 
seems." 

"  I  foel  dull  this  morning  ;  I  have  been  out  the 
livelong  night." 

"  And  the  littlo  Eucellai  with  hazel  eyes  ?  " 

"  Tush,  Bernardino,  a  truce  to  thy  nonsense  !  " 

"  So  vou  arc  going  now  to  your  fencing  master's  ; 
and  after  that  ?  " 

"After  that  we  shall  breakfast  together  at  the 
Osteria  del  Povero  Diavolo — yoii  know  it  not '? 
Why,  they  tell  me  'tis  a  new  cookshop  opened  since 
I  left,  where  everything  is  done  to  perfection  in  the 
Spanish  style." 

"  My  time  is  brief ;  I  but  meant  to  refresh  my 
self  with  a  breath  of  air." 


4  BFORZA. 

"  Diamine !  you  must  eat ;  I  will  hasten  my 
exercise.  I  have  a  hundred  questions  to  ask,  as  all 
people  have  after  separation." 

"Are  you,  too,  going  to  the  army?"  inquired 
Bernardino,  turning  to  retrace  his  steps. 

"  For  the  present,  no  ;  I  am  attached  to  the 
military  household.  Doubtless  we  shall  all  look 
the  French  in  tfre  eyes  before  the  next  Ottobrata. 
But  what  of  that !  Tell  me  rather  how  to  forget 
England.  Maledetto!  think  of  a  whole  month 
there." 

"  Is  it  true  that  in  London  the  red-haired  girls 
play  games  wherein  they  kiss  the  men  ?  "  inquired 
Bernardino,  casting  his  eyes  upon  his  companion's 
bangles  and  effeminate  dress. 

"  Possibly,  but  not  with  strangers,  and  I  was 
always  a  stranger  among  them." 

"  But  at  Carnival  ?  " 

"  They  buffet  one  another's  faces  with  great 
gloves.  But  what  carnival  will  you  have  when 
from  Christmas  to  Easter  the  fog  is  so  dense  you 
would  not  know  there  were  church  towers  did  not 
you  hear  the  tinkling  of  the  chimes  ?  I  cannot  yet 
shake  off  the  impression  of  those  grimy  streets,  of 
the  rainy  mornings,  of  the  dark,  solemn  afternoons. 
And  the  faces  at  the  diamond-paned  windows ! 
Always  the  weazened  faces  of  old  scriveners  and 
money-changers,  poring  over  their  books  and  fum 
bling  their  hoards." 


TUE  SCHOOL   OF  THE  SWORD.  5 

"  They  must  needs  drink  well  in  such  a  cli 
mate  ?  " 

"  Drink  !  'Tis  a  country  which  makes  no  wine. 
They  serve  at  their  banquets  a  dry  Xeres  which 
they  call  sack,  and  the  people  play  the  fool  in  their 
cups  over  a  frothing  yellowish,  liquid." 

"  You  talk  as  though  you  had  been  liomesick." 

"  I  had  the  longing  for  Italy,  and  that,  you  know, 
is  a  malady  incurable  abroad.  I  thought  of  the 
silver  and  gold  of  our  sky,  of  the  sunset  flush  on 
our  mountains,  of  my  favorite  haunts — 

"And  somewhat  of  the  little  Rucellai — no?  " 

"Jest  not  of  liar,  or  my  good  fortune  will  fly 
away." 

"  Your  good  fortune  delights  me.  And  when  is 
the  wedding  feast  ?  " 

"  I  spoke  with  her  last  night.  Her  father's  house 
was  filled  with  dancers.  I  have  known  the  old  man 
for  years,- — who  knows  not  the  banker  Rucellai? 
I  danced  a  moresca  with  her ;  we  strolled  among 
tapestries  and  paintings  ;  she  offered  me  a  sherbet ; 
I  coaxed  her  to  accept  a  bracelet  from  my  wrist; 
we  walked  down  a  terrace  where  were  statues  and 
fountains  and  colored  lanterns,  and  where  a  com 
pany  of  lutes  were  playing  the  sweetest  love  songs, 
and  oil,  Bernardino!  it  came  over  me  that  I  might 
meet  my  death  in  this  accursed  war  !  " 

"And  that  is  all?" 

"Hark.     The   dance   over,  the    guests  scattered, 


6  fiFOBZA. 

the  house  closed,  and,  the  night  listening,  I  came 
with  my  mandolin  and  filled  the  air  with  song." 

"  You  never  used  to  sing." 

"  No ;  but  love  inspired  me  and  gave  me  a 
voice ;  do  you  remember  that  quaint  old  passion 
ate  refrain  of  the  Sunbeam  and  the  Rose  ?  " 

"  You  are  too  sleek  and  too  well  fed,  my  Hermes, 
to  be  a  soulful  minstrel." 

"  So  thought  old  Rucellai.  A  casement  opened, 
and  I  recognized  his  voice.  'Begone,'  he  cried, 
'if  you  are  human  you  should  have  some  compas 
sion  ;  if  you  are  a  devil  I  will  presently  discharge 
an  arquebuse  your  way." 

"  And  the  girl  ?  " 

"  Gave  no  sign.  So,  with  the  daughter  asleep 
and  the  father  awake,  I  betook  me  to  a  trattoria, 
where  a  dozen  we  know  were  supping,  and  pres 
ently  in  came  a  bevy  of  girls  who  danced  for  ns — 
and  here  I  am." 

Their  talk  was  interrupted  by  the  leisurely  round 
of  a  town-crier.  He  stopped  near  them,  rang  a 
bell,  and,  pointing  to  a  handcuffed  prisoner,  re 
cited  the  following  words  in  a  monotonous  chant, 
while  the  culprit,  a  miserable  starveling,  with 
every  token  of  degradation,  listened  intently,  as 
though  each  repetition  of  the  sentence  brought  a 
new  horror  : 

"  Be  it  known,  that  this  man,  Agosto  Felice,  a 
Jew,  having  been  convicted  of  sweating  the  public 


THE  SCHOOL    OF   THE  8WORD.  7 

moneys,  and  his  goods  forfeited,  is  condemned  to 
be  branded  on  tlie  face  and  hands  to-morrow." 

The  knot  of  idlers,  that  followed  the  trembling 
criminal  throughout  the  city,  passed  on,  and 
Hermes  and  Bernardino  resumed  their  way  uncon 
cerned. 

"  Had  the  duke  news  yesterday  from  the  army  ?  " 
asked  the  latter. 

"  I  saw  my  uncle  but  briefly  ;  he  looked  pale 
and  troubled,  though,  in  answer  to  the  only  ques 
tion  I  durst  put  to  him,  he  said  that  all  goes  for 
the  best.  Nevertheless,  twenty-five  days  since,  as 
I  was  leaving  London,  it  was  told  me  by  a  secre 
tary  to  the  Pope's  legate  that  the  Venetians  would 
assail  us  from  behind.  And  at  Como  a  rumor  had 
it  that  their  scappoli  and  stradiotes  are  already 
concentrated  to  march.  Can  such  evil  tidings  be 
true  ?  " 

"  'Tis  but  the  accustomed  bluster  of  the  Vene 
tians.  Our  forces  assemble  at  Asti ;  it  is  to  be  a 
defensive  campaign  until  our  autumn  fevers  ex 
haust  the  French.  At  the  worst,  cannot  our  towns 
stand  siege  ?  If  we  but  keep  the  French  at  arms' 
length  for  the  summer,  we  shall  make  them  eat 
bitter  bread  with  cold  hands." 

They  had  now  reached  the  abode  of  Narvaez,  the 
celebrated  fencing-master.  There  was  an  enclosure 
at  one  side  where,  in  summer,  he  received  his  pu 
pils  alfresco,  and  here  he  had  marked  out  upon  the 


8  SFORZA. 

brick  pavement  the  geometric  lines  which  served 
as  a  basis  for  the  theories  of  his  school.  From 
one  extremity  to  the  other  ran  parallels,  along 
which,  said  a  naive  explanation,  two  adversaries 
might  travel  without  changing  distance.  Further 
on  was  an  illustration,  by  footmarks,  of  the  succes 
sive  positions  occupied  in  gaining  the  advantage 
of  place  and  stroke  by  traversing.  On  the  wall 
was  the  outline  of  a  human  figure,  upon  which 
were  drawn,  for  the  consideration  of  the  beginner, 
lines  showing  the  relation  of  angles  to  arcs,  of 
tangents  and  chords  to  their  circle. 

Four  hundred  years  ago  every  master  of  fence 
advocated  a  system  developed  by  his  own  favorite 
methods.  If  he  could  afford  the  cost,  he  had 
copied  for  sale,  in  manuscript,  his  treatise  upon 
staccadoes  and  imbrocatas  and  mandritas,  mixed 
with  disquisitions  upon  self-defence  as  approved 
by  divine  law,  and  on  the  commendable  pastime  of 
the  sword  for  the  confusion  of  heretics  and  the 
admiration  of  fair  women.  Some  adepts  offered  to 
sell  a  bottc  secrete,  a  thrust  that  would  surely  reach 
the  adversary,  while  others  devoted  themselves  to 
pure  theory,  such  as  the  exchange  of  compliments 
which  Spanish  etiquette  provided  before  a  duel ; 
thence  leading  the  scholar  to  the  habitual  study 
of  every  swordsman,  whether  stout,  tall,  muscular, 
nervous,  choleric,  or  phlegmatic,  with  the  inferen 
tial  reasoning  that  such  an  opponent  should  be 


TILK  &J1100L    OF   THE  HWOHD.  9 

met  with  tactics  violent,  measured,  sudden,  or 
patient — and  finally  passing  into  philosophical 
digressions  and  the  recital  of  Scriptural  texts. 
That,  in  spite  of  such  drawbacks,  the  Spaniards 
should  have  been  accounted  the  most  formidable 
duellists  of  the  sixteenth  century,  was  due  to  the 
strength  required  for  the  manipulation  of  their 
heavy  rapier  which  its  incessant  use  in  practice 
developed,  and  to  the  habit  of  extreme  coolness 
which  resulted  from  unflagging  attention  to  arti 
ficial  method. 

Both  these  qualities  were  possessed  in  their 
perfection  by  Narvaez,  the  renowned  fencing- 
teacher,  who  advanced  to  greet  Hermes  and  Ber 
nardino  as  a  servant  admitted  them  into  the 
enclosure.  All  Milan  knew  the  young  Spanish 
uvordsman  by  sight.  He  had  come  to  Italy  when 
a  stripling,  and,  since  his  father's  death,  had  con 
tinued  alone  in  the  exercise  of  the  family  profes 
sion.  The  elder  Narvaez  had  served  his  appren 
ticeship  in  arms  when,  as  a  boy,  he  stood  by  his 
father  on  the  trembling  rampart  of  Constantinople, 
and  saw  Paleologns  cast  aside  the  purple  robe, 
that  his  body  might  not  bo  recognized  by  the  Sara 
cens  as  that  of  the  last  of  the  Roman  Caesars. 

His  son  inherited  his  deftness  with  the  rapier, 
and  the  nerve  of  the  professional  swordsman.  He 
had  a  serious  face,  a  soft,  musical  voice,  unusual 
in  a  Spaniard,  thick  clustering  hair,  an  earnest 


10  SFOEZA. 

manner  in  talking,  and  a  smile  as  sweet  as  a  girl's. 
His  features  were  delicate,  and  under  his  dark 
skin  glowed  a  ruddy  flush.  He  w*as  a  favorite  with 
all ;  with  Hermes  chiefly  for  his  incomparable 
swordsmanship,  and  partly,  be  it  confessed,  because 
the  fencer  loved  dainty  dishes  as  much  as  though 
they  were  not  contrary  to  perfect  training.  Half 
a  dozen  times,  in  bygone  days,  had  Hermes  taken 
him  to  one  of  his  favorite  resorts,  where  they  had 
feasted  magnificently,  to  the  Spaniard's  delight 
and  to  the  promotion  of  a  comradeship  which  in 
olden  times  often  existed  between  a  crack  fencing- 
master  and  his  patron. 

But,  above  all,  he  was  a  favorite  with  the  women 
—too  much  so  for  his  own  comfort.  He  declared 
the  pursuit  of  the  sex  to  be  inconsistent  with  the 
pure  science  of  the  sword,  and  neither  art  nor 
cajolery  nor  amorous  token  could  move  his  indif 
ference.  His  most  demonstrative  admirer  was  a 
handsome  widow  of  thirty,  with  ample  revenue 
and  a  tendency  to  embonpoint.  This  dame  had 
taken  advantage  of  the  prevalent  taste  among 
ladies  for  fencing,  to  gain  a  more  particular  ac 
quaintance  than  the  Spaniard  usually  permitted; 
but  when  she  presumed  upon  this  privilege  with  a 
sudden  embrace  and  an  impassioned  declaration, 
the  cold  swordsman  turned  from  her  rosy  face  with 
a  vow  that  he  would  never  cross  rapiers  with  her 
again. 


THE  W1IOOL    OF  Till-:  HWOIW.  11 

"Good  morning,  Narvaez,"  said  Hermes,  "I 
present  you  to  Messer  Bernardino  Corte,  Governor 
of  the  Castle  ;  doubtless  he  has  seen  you  fence  in 
public,"  he  added,  as  the  Spaniard  raised  a  Moor 
ish  cap  and  bowed  to  his  visitors  with  the  grave 
courtesy  of  the  profession. 

"The  maestro  has  perhaps  never  noticed  my 
face,"  observed  Bernardino,  "though,  Xarvaez,  I 
have  often  watched  you, — the  last  time  at  that 
famous  assalto  wherein  you  vanquished  the 
French  champion." 

The  fencer  begged  Bernardino  to  seat  himself 
at  a  bench  embowered  in  vines,  whence,  while 
awaiting  Sforza's  return,  he  could  observe  the  les 
son  progressing  between  an  assistant  and  a  youth 
receiving  his  first  notions  of  arms.  Bernardino 
glanced  at  the  opposite  wall,  whereon  was  painted 
the  maxim  of  the  Cavaliere  San  Giorgio,  of  blessed 
memory:  "To  the  heart,  always  strike  at  the 
heart,"  which  the  master  was  wont  to  repeat  as 
he  placed  a  sword  in  the  scholar's  hand  ;  then  his 
eyes  rested  upon  the  assistant  as  he  repeated  to 
his  pupil  the  rules  of  posture,  the  respective  merits 
of  passing  one  or  two  fingers  over  the  quillons,  and 
the  most  approved  method  of  advancing  at  an 
angle,  witli  short,  quick  steps,  always  menacing 
the  adversary  with  the  point,  and  delivering  iipon 
the  body  of  an  imaginary  opponent  a  stab-like 
thrust,  which,  in  the  use  of  the  heavy  Spanish 


]2  8FORZA. 

rapier,  took  the  place  of  the  modern  fencer's 
lunge. 

Bernardino's  musing  was  ended  by  the  return  of 
Hermes,  who  had  exchanged  his  dainty  clothes  for 
a  pair  of  coarse  knee-breeches  and  a  light  shirt, 
over  which  was  strapped  a  heavy  plastron.  In  his 
right  hand  he  carried  a  practising  rapier  with  a 
small  metal  ball  at  the  end,  and  in  his  left  a  mask. 
Narvaez  gloved  his  right  hand  and  bound  a  leather 
thong  about  his  fingers  and  through  the  quillons 
with  mathematical  nicety,  and  they  crossed  swords. 
For  twenty  minutes  Bernardino  watched  them,  ob 
serving  the  careful  poise  of  the  heavy  blades,  the 
nimble  feet,  the  exact  balance  of  the  body,  the 
feint,  the  parry, — then  the  fencing  humor  seized 
him,  and  he  longed  for  a  bout  himself.  When 
Hermes  stopped  to  rest,  he  approached,  and, 
pointing  to  a  rack  of  masks  and  blunt  foils,  said 
to  Narvaez : 

"Good  youth,  do  me  the  service  to  make  me 
breathe  deep,  and,  if  you  touch  me,  I  will  call  my 
self  your  pupil." 

"  Five  ducats  to  one  he  pinks  thee,  Bernardino ! " 
cried  Hermes,  as  the  governor  threw  off  his  slashed 
doublet  and  selected  a  sword. 

Bernardino  forced  the  fencing,  thinking  thereby 
to  derive  advantage  from  his  superior  weight  and 
reach.  Narvaez  essayed  to  disengage,  but  his  op 
ponent's  weapon  always  returned  to  contact  with 


TEE  SCHOOL   OF   THE  SWORD.  13 

his  own.  At  length  he  succeeded  in  dropping  his 
sword  ere  his  antagonist's  blade  caught  it,  and, 
with  a  turn  of  tho  wrist,  delivered  a  stroke  that 
touched  Bernardino  fairly  on  the  breast. 

"AVell  played,  my  Narvaez,  and  an  honest  Span 
ish  mandoble,"  cried  Hermes,  laughing  at  his  com 
panion's  defeat ;  "  to  the  heart,  always  to  the 
heart,"  he  added,  pointing  to  the  maxim  of  the 
patron  of  fencers. 

The  governor  appeared  nettled.  "If  thou  canst 
touch  me  again  with  such  trifling  care,"  he  ex 
claimed,  "I  will  reward  the  stroke  with  five  gold 
ducats  !  " 

Forward  and  back  they  moved,  until  Narvaez, 
abandoning  his  guarded  defence,  made  several 
rapid  passes,  then,  springing  aside  and  forward, 
he  executed  the  favorite  manoeuvre  of  the  Spanish 
school,  the  traverse,  to  be  followed  by  a  thrust 
from  the  angle  thus  gained  ;  but  Bernardino  re 
sorted  simultaneously  to  a  counter  of  French  in 
vention,  with  the  result  that  Narvaez,  divining  his 
thought,  changed  his  own  stroke  in  the  instant  of 
execution,  and,  catching  his  opponent's  blade  with 
his  own,  sent  it  flying  to  the  ground. 

At  this  discomfiture  the  governor  turned  on  his 
heel  in  vexation,  and  drew  on  his  doublet. 

"  Disarmed  is  worse  than  touched,  and  here  are 
your  five  ducats,"  he  said  to  the  fencer,  who 
dropped  them  into  a  purse  which  he  tossed  in  the 


14  SFORZA. 

air  with  a  merry  laugh,  and  snatched  as  it  de 
scended.  In  a  moment  more  Hermes  had  resumed 
his  ordinary  attire. 

"And  now  for  breakfast,"  pursued  the  governor, 
as  they  passed  out  into  the  street.  "  Fried  pig's 
trotters,  peppered  kidneys,  ham  with  olive  sauce, 
eggs  with  cheese  of  Seville — 

His  words  ceased  as  the  speaker  crossed  the 
path  of  an  approaching  individual,  whose  appear 
ance  caused  him  a  disagreeable  surprise.  The  new 
comer  was  a  man  in  the  prime  of  life,  of  vigorous 
body  and  calm,  intellectual  face.  He  saluted 
Hermes  and  Bernardino  with  a  slight  wave  of  the 
hand  and  a  murmured  buon  giorno,  and  pursued  his 
leisurely  way.  Hermes,  in  returning  his  greeting, 
made,  with  middle  fingers  and  thumb  drawn  to 
gether  and  fore  and  little  fingers  extended,  the 
familiar  sign  which  averts  the  blight  of  the  evil 
eye. 

"What  brings  Almodoro  back  ?  "  he  murmured. 
"He  has  been  in  the  Levant  for  years,  and  I 
thought  we  were  rid  of  him  forever.  Madre  bea- 
tissima,  my  appetite  is  gone." 

"  He  returned  a  week  ago  in  answer  to  a  press 
ing  summons,  and  is  now  in  high  favor.  We  meet 
to-day  at  noon,  and  together  are  to  be  received  by 
the  duke.  Tis  said  he  has  been  on  a  pilgrimage." 

"How  should  one  who  holds  converse  with  Satan 
make  a  pilgrimage?" 


THE  SCHOOL    OF  THE  SWORD.  15 

"To  confer  with  the  evil  spirits  of  the  East  — 
they  are  most  potent  under  that  burning  sun.  Be 
hold  ! "  added  Bernardino,  pointing  to  the  ground, 
'•  mark  you  that— a  dead  leaf — whence  comes  it 
thus  withered?  See,  it  moves  and  rustles,  though 
not  a  breath  stirs." 

"  And,  mark  you,  he  is  not  aged  a  day  since  I  last 
saw  him.  His  looks  never  change.  That  is  where 
you  may  read  the  devil's  blessing.  It  is  wrell  known 
that  he  is  Giacomo  Coiitarini,  aged  forty-nine  to-day 
— aged  forty-nine  when  he  was 

"  Bah  !  Giacomo  Contarini  was  Doge  of  Venice 
half  a  dozen  generations  back." 

"  But  he  did  not  die." 

"He  resigned  his  office." 

"  Resigned  his  office  and  its  burdens,  left  Ven 
ice,  and  has  been  wandering  from  one  country  to 
another  ever  since.  In  the  doge's  palace  hangs  his 
portrait  among  all  the  others.  I  have  seen  it,  and 
it  is  Almodoro's  face — the  meeting  eyebrows,  the 
furtive  look  of  the  eyes,  the  sad,  set  expression  of 
the  lips,  all  are  there — and  yet  that  portrait  of 
him  was  painted  as  he  looked  two  centuries  ago ! " 


CHAPTER  II. 

INVASION. 

ON  a  broad  terrace  that  skirted  the  parapet  of 
the  castle  of  Milan  sat  Bernardino  Corte,  governor 
of  that  fortress,  and  Almodoro,  soothsayer  to  the 
duke,  and  famous  in  the  arts  of  magic  and  divi 
nation.  Both  were  men  of  striking  appearance. 
Bernardino  possessed  the  muscular,  deep-chested 
frame  and  easy  poise  of  an  athlete.  He  had  fine 
gray  eyes  that  could  be  keen  or  tender ;  his  ad 
dress  was  frank  and  engaging  ;  for  men,  he  had 
brief,  clear,  straightforward  words,  and  for  women 
the  fascination  of  a  handsome  and  successful  man 
who  apparently  has  never  loved.  His  early  years 
had  been  rilled  with  adversity.  He  had  travelled 
extensively,  and,  returning  to  his  native  Lombardy, 
brought  back  a  large  observation  upon  the  tactics 
and  equipment  of  foreign  armies,  and  a  mind  filled 
with  the  poesy  and  romance  of  France  and  Spain. 
He  could  tell  many  a  story  of  the  age  which  pro 
duced  "  Le  Roman  de  la  Rose,"  and  a  novelette 
which  he  wrote  attracted  the  attention  of  the 
Court. 

Almodoro's  was  a  more  thoughtful  face.  He  had 


INVASION.  17 

the  vigorous  physique  and  nerve-calin  which  re 
main  when  the  mind  has  not  been  overtasked  nor 
the  body  over-indulged.  He  seemed  in  the  prime 
of  life,  a  student  in  appearance,  and,  from  his  dis 
trait  look,  one  could  divine  a  man  habituated  to 
the  luxury  of  solitude.  The  repose  and  serenity  of 
his  presence  indicated  a  life  apart  from  ordinary 
care.  His  swarthy  complexion  had  been  deepened 
by  Asiatic  climates,  and  in  his  accent  there  was  a 
savor  of  Oriental  tongues.  Of  late  he  had  been 
journeying  in  India,  amid  scenes  with  which  he 
professed  himself  familiar,  and  in  whose  weird  in 
spiration  he  delighted.  Men  said  that  he  belonged 
to  the  brotherhood  of  alchemists — a  connection 
which,  with  his  learning  and  his  independence, 
procured  him  the  enmity  of  the  Church, — an  en 
mity  whereof  he  might  have  received  emphatic 
token  had  not  the  powers  of  darkness  and  of  light 
been  so  evenly  balanced  in  the  estimation  of  the 
fifteenth  century,  that  it  was  often  accounted  haz 
ardous  to  meddle  with  the  devil's  own. 

These  two  were  the  most  trusted  of  all  who, 
after  aiding  Ludovico  Sforza  in  the  dispossession 
of  his  nephew  Galeazzo,  had  served  him  in  the 
maintenance  of  his  usurped  authority.  Their 
desultory  talk  had  lapsed  to  silence  as  they 
awaited  the  summons  which  should  presently  call 
them  to  the  presence  of  the  duko,  and  they  now 
sat  with  heads  bared  iu  the  shade  of  an  awning, 


18  8FOEZA. 

while  their  gaze  rested  carelessly  upon  the  castle 
enclosure,  the  clustering  masses  of  tawny  gables 
and  peaked  roofs,  or,  beyond,  upon  the  immeasur 
able  expanse  of  green,  stretching  away  to  the  Alps, 
whose  shadowy  outline  a  keen  eye  could  discover. 
The  famous  citadel  of  Milan  enclosed  an  exten 
sive  area,  and  served  the  purpose  of  palace,  fort 
ress,  dungeon,  treasury,  and  barrack.  Within  it 
resided  the  duke ;  at  one  side  was  imprisoned,  with 
her  child,  Isabelle  of  Aragon,  widow  of  the  dis 
possessed  Galeazzo  :  in  a  central  tower  were  gold 
and  precious  stones.  Along  the  rampart,  ready  to 
meet  the  impending  attack,  were  stored  the  best 
appliances  known  to  military  science.  Upon  each 
tower  was  a  contrivance  capable  of  tossing  a  fifty- 
pound  stone  two  hundred  yards  ;  within  the  cov 
ered  galleries  were  ranged  crossbows  of  such 
power  that  they  could  only  be  bent  by  a  wheel  ; 
these  last  weapons  threw  either  sharp  steel  bolts, 
to  pierce  the  armor  of  a  knight,  or  bars  bound 
about  with  oakum  dipped  in  inextinguishable  fire, 
and  were  so  deadly  that  the  Council  of  the  Lateran 
condemned  them  as  "  displeasing  to  God."  In  an 
angle  of  the  wall  was  an  immense  copper  pan, 
which,  when  filled  with  water  and  placed  in  the 
dry  ditch  or  on  the  counterscarp,  revealed  the 
mines  the  enemy  might  be  digging, — each  blow  of 
the  pick  in  a  subterranean  gallery  causing  a  quiver 
on  the  water. 


INVASION.  19 

"  How  tedious  grows  this  waiting  !  "  the  gov 
ernor  ejaculated,  unbuckling  his  sword  and  laying 
it  on  the  bench  beside  him  ;  "  this  morning's  estaf- 
fette  must  have  brought  despatches  of  importance." 

"  Our  couriers  from  Asti  can  bring  only  good 
tidings,"  answered  Almodoro,  "  for  we  know  that 
there  all  goes  well ;  but  I  dread  our  next  letters 
from  Venice." 

"  Let  us  dismiss  Venice  from  our  thoughts,  and 
bid  Ludovico  do  likewise.  The  Senate  threatens 
an  incursion,  and  seeks  to  profit  by  the  weakness 
which  an  unlucky  year  imposes  on  us ;  but  the 
only  real  danger  is  that  we  should  be  beguiled  into 
diverting  a  fraction  of  our  strength  from  the  de 
cisive  encounter  with  the  French." 

"  Then  what  is  to  prevent  the  Venetians  from 
marching  upon  Milan  ?  "  asked  Almodoro.  "  You 
will  say  because  they  are  Italians,  and  that,  be 
yond  the  greed  of  adding  a  couple  of  towns  to  their 
Venetia,  they  would  not  help  the  invader.  But  I 
tell  you  the  Venetians  are  not  Italians  :  they  are  a 
people  by  themselves  ;  they  have  more  interests  in 
the  Levant,  or  along  the  narrow  seas,  than  here." 

"It  seems  to  me,"  observed  the  governor  after 
a  pause,  "  that  Ludovico  is  changed  of  late  ;  ten 
years  ago  he  would  not  have  been  taken  thus,  in 
evil  days,  with  two  powerful  adversaries  closing 
upon  him,  and  not  a  friend  in  the  world." 

"Do  you  think  it  strange,"  retorted  the  sooth- 


20  SFORZA. 

sayer,  "  that  a  man  should  be  disconcerted  at  the 
prospect  of  an  exchange  of  rank  and  riches  for 
odium  and  exile  ?  " 

"  It  is  indeed  a  long  way  from  his  present  eleva 
tion  to  the  days  of  his  coudottiere  ancestor,"  an 
swered  Bernardino,  with  a  sneer. 

"All  my  life,"  pursued  the  alchemist, — ''and 
my  life  has  been  longer  than  my  looks  tell — I  have 
watched  people  pass  from  one  calamity  to  another  ; 
therefore  I  have  ceased  to  marvel  at  the  infinitely 
sad  things  Time  brings  about." 

"  And  I,"  rejoined  the  governor,  "  who  am 
younger  in  heart  than  in  years,  have  but  lately 
begun  to  wonder  at  them.  Ah,  mercy  me  !  yester 
day  brought  back  a  bitter  memory.  Were  you  in 
Milan,  Almodoro,  fourteen  years  ago,  when  the 
plague  was  at  its  worst  ?  No  ?  Well  I  was  here. 
The  streets  were  deserted  ;  every  other  lintel  bore 
the  red  sign  ;  the  dead-cart  passed  with  its  crucifix 
and  its  ghastly  burden.  I  fled  from  the  infected 
air,  and  from  the  horrors  that  thronged  on  every 
side.  In  all  the  streets  I  saw  but  one  person,  a 
youth  of  my  own  age.  I  recall  his  face  with  vivid 
ness,  though  we  met  no  more  until  two  years  after, 
when  he  took  from  me  a  girl  of  whom  I  was  en 
amoured.  It  was  a  boyish  amourette  of  mine,  and 
foolish,  if  you  will ;  but  such  follies  are  the  part  of 
life  one  loves  best  to  look  back  upon.  We  crossed 
swords  in  a  grove  beyond  Monza,  and  by  way  of 


INVASION.  21 

satisfaction  I  received  two  inches  of  his  rapier.  I 
came  out  of  the  delirium  of  a  sick-room  to  learn 
that  he  and  my  sweetheart  were  married.  Twelve 
years  have  passed  since  then,  and  yesterday,  going 
into  the  Duomo  to  rest  my  thoughts  in  the  calm  of 
its  great  white  arches,  I  heard  a  priest  chanting, 
and  saw  a  knot  of  people  before  the  altar,  and 
in  their  midst  a  bier,  and  the  face  of  the  dead 
was  uncovered;  and  I  looked,  and  recognized  my 
rival." 

"You  did  not  weep  for  him,"  remarked  the 
soothsayer  indifferently. 

"You  might  have  thought  I  wept,  for  the  tears 
welled  up  to  my  eyes,  and  I  lost  the  glittering 
altar,  and  the  droning  priest,  and  the  dead  face, 
and  it  seemed  to  me  that  I  looked  across  them  all 
to  the  last  time  that  I  saw  /«•/•,  and  I  remembered 
the  crimson  flush  of  that  beautiful  day,  and  the 
tinkling  cadencas  of  guitars,  and  it  all  came  over 
me  like  a  new  sorrow." 

"  'Tis  true  that  an  old  wound  sometimes  bleeds 
afresh,"  assented  Almodoro,  restraining  an  incli 
nation  to  smile  at  his  companion's  unwonted  ear 
nestness.  "  The  Arabs  call  it  the  cut  of  a  poisoned 
L'jiife.  But  hither  comes  a  page  to  summon  us." 

Before  receiving  his  confidential  advisers  Ludo- 
vico  Sforza  had  dined,  as  usual,  at  midday  and 
alone.  In  a  room  painted  with  Moorish  ara- 


22  SFORZA. 

besques,  a  major-domo,  attended  by  two  servants, 
stood  beside  a  table  laid  with  damask  cloth,  and 
furnished  with  knife  and  spoon  and  wooden  salt 
cellar,  and  Dutch  porcelain  platter,  and  tinted 
goblet  of  Murano.  They  waited  but  a  moment, 
for  Sforza  had  that  punctuality  which  in  olden 
times  was  the  virtue  of  princes. 

A  curtain  was  thrown  back  and  the  duke  entered. 
Though  grown  portly,  Sforza  was  still  of  erect, 
graceful  figure.  His  face  was  full,  clean-shaven,  of 
dark  complexion,  with  a  profile  suggestive  of  firm 
ness  and  refinement.  His  lips  were  delicate  and 
expressive.  His  eyes  were  black,  lustrous,  and 
piercing,  and  looked  from  beneath  strongly-arched 
brows.  His  hair  was  cut  square  in  front,  and 
brushed  forward  half  way  down  the  forehead,  and 
worn  long  at  the  sides  and  back.  In  character  he 
was  shaped  according  to  Macchiavelli's  subsequent 
standard  of  princely  excellence, — astute,  self-reli 
ant,  well-informed,  cruel  at  times,  though  less 
through  badness  of  heart  than  in  compliance  with 
the  stern  egotism  of  the  time,  and  using  fraud  and 
force  with  the  subtleness  of  Italian  statecraft.  He 
was  indefatigable  in  advancing  the  welfare  of  his 
subjects,  fond  of  letters  and  of  the  companionship 
of  learned  men,  and  a  magnificent  patron  of  the 
arts.  His  sagacity  had  procured  him  the  sobriquet 
of  "  II  Moro,"  the  mulberry  tree,  which,  being  in 
spring  the  last  to  hazard  its  buds  and  the  first  to 


IXVASTOX.  23 

mature  its  fruit,  lie  had  adopted  as  his  symbol  of 
patience  and  promptness.  Of  recent  years  he  had 
been  saddened  by  the  death  of  his  young  wife, 
Beatrice  ;  if  he  had  sought  to  console  himself  for 
this  affliction,  it  had  been  chiefly  in  the  society  of 
scholars,  in  the  employment  of  Bramante  and  Da 
Vinci,  and  in  the  development  and  better  cultiva 
tion  of  Lombardy. 

Ho  seated  himself  without  heeding  the  major- 
domo's  formal  reverence,  which,  at  the  commence 
ment  of  each  meal,  conveyed  the  assurance  that  the 
dishes  had  been  watched  and  the  wine  tasted,  and 
that,  under  Providence,  neither  had  been  tampered 
with.  From  the  sideboard  were  brought  long, 
slender  stems  of  bread  and  a  bowl  of  the  famous 
"golden  soup,"  made  of  saffron  and  the  yolk  of 
eggs,  for  it  was  Friday,  and  the  duke  was  scrupu 
lous  in  fasting.  To  tunny,  browned  and  laid  on 
a  bed  of  parsley,  succeeded  macaroni,  simmered 
beans,  and  toasted  cheese,  the  servants  being  care 
ful,  in  deference  to  a  superstition  of  the  time,  to 
approach  the  table  with  the  right  foot  first.  Hav 
ing  finished  this  frugal  repast,  II  Moro  returned  to 
his  library,  where  he  had  been  at  work  all  the 
morning.  This  was  a  large  oblong  room  with  easy- 
chairs  and  divans,  and  a  great  carved  writing-table  ; 
on  two  sides  were  bookshelves  flanked  by  salient 
caryatids,  and  between  the  windows  hung  a  map 
of  the  world  as  then  known,  with  curious  beasts 


24  8FORZA. 

depicted  upon  the  African  coast,  and  still  stranger 
monsters  rising  from  the  Sinus  Barbaricus  of  the 
Indian  Ocean  ;  in  frames,  whose  gilding  had  faded 
to  a  subdued  lustre,  were  portraits  of  bygone 
Sforza, — intent  and  meditative  men,  and  women 
subtle-eyed ;  here  and  there,  beneath  them,  were 
black  cabinets  with  inlaid  panels  and  chased  han 
dles  and  ivory  figures,  that  age  had  streaked  with 
russet ;  the  casements  were  set  in  deep  niches,  and 
through  their  little  painted  panes  the  sunlight  laid 
a  kaleidoscopic  pattern  upon  the  floor. 

The  duke's  eyes  fell  on  a  clock  that  stood  before 
the  table,  and  which,  in  that  day,  was  a  rare  curi 
osity  ;  apparently  reminded  by  its  quaint  face,  he 
ordered  that  his  nephew,  Hermes,  be  called,  and, 
upon  his  entrance,  he  saluted  him  with  cold  civil 
ity  and  bade  him  be  seated. 

"  You  find  me,"  he  began,  abruptly,  after  a  quick 
glance  at  the  bright,  manly  face,  "  in  even  graver 
straits  than  when  I  ordered  your  recall  from  En 
gland." 

He  paused,  seemingly  in  expectation  of  an  an 
swer  ;  but  his  nephew's  remembrance  of  years  of 
neglect  and  isolation  was  too  vivid  to  permit  even 
the  semblance  of  a  sympathy  he  could  not  feel,  and 
he  received  this  declaration  in  silence. 

"  More  than  once,"  resumed  the  duke,  coming  to 
the  subject  in  his  thought,  "  you  have  reproached 
me  for  the  seclusion  of  Francesco  and  his  mother. 


INVASION.  25 

lu  tlie  past  it  has  been  difficult  to  answer,  except 
to  ask  if  you  would  put  Milan  in  the  care  of  a 
child,  or  to  repeat  to  you  the  words  with  which  I 
have  sought  to  quiet  my  own  conscience,  that,  if 
aught  has  been  done  amiss,  it  is  too  late  to  turn 
back,  and  as  for  regrets  and  repiuings,  they  are  for 
women.  You  see  I  speak  frankly,  and  in  this  hour 
of  danger  I  acknowledge  that  I  have  been  unjust, 
and  I  declare  that  so  far  as  lies  in  my  power  I  will 
make  amends." 

The  young  man  shook  his  head  incredulously. 
"  You  cannot  bring  back  my  dead  brother,"  he 
said,  with  bitterness ;  "  you  will  not  release  Isa- 
belle  ;  you  think  the  French  less  dangerous  to  you 
than  little  Francesco." 

"  But  at  least  I  have  at  heart  the  welfare — what 
say  I  ? — the  salvation — of  our  family  ;  and  in  this, 
if  upon  nothing  else,  we  should  agree." 

"  But  we  do  not  understand  alike  the  interest 
of  our  family,"  retorted  Hermes,  with  barely  per 
ceptible  sarcasm.  "  For  .you,  that  interest  is  that, 
while  you  rule  Milan,  I  am  to  be  sent  on  distant 
and  useless  missions,  and  Isabelle  and  her  boy 
are  to  be  kept— soften  the  word  as  you  please— in 
a  prison." 

The  duke  checked  him  with  a  vehement  gesture. 
"  Be  those  rights  and  grievances  what  they  may," 
he  exclaimed,  "we  shall  all  presently  be  outcasts 
together." 


26  SFORZA. 

"And  whose  the  fault  ?"  bluntly  ejaculated  his 
nephew.  "  Did  not  every  one  but  Almodoro  tell 
you  at  the  time  that  to  call  the  French  into  Italy 
would,  in  the  end,  prove  fatal?  You  opened  the 
Alps  a  dozen  years  ago  to  Charles  the  Eighth — 
and  now,  here  are  the  French  on  a  second  foray ; 
and  how  must  we,  who  bring  such  devastation,  be 
regarded  ?  " 

"  Your  words  are  stern,  Hermes,  but  I  have  said 
as  much  to  myself.  Let  us  think  no  more  of  what 
happened  years  ago ;  a  thousand  regrets  are  not 
worth  a  single  archer,  and  one  lucky  day  may  right 
months  of  mistakes  and  misfortunes.  I  began  by 
declaring  that  I  would  atone  for  the  wrong  done  in 
my  name,  in  exchange  for  a  service  it  is  in  your 
power  to  render — not  me  individually,  but  our 
family." 

"  A  service  that  I  am  to  render !  " 

"  Do  you  refuse  ?  " 

"  First  let  me  hear  what  it  is  ?  " 

"  We  are  ruined  if  the  advance  of  the  Venetians 
continue ;  the  French  we  can  meet,  but  not  both 
together.  You  have  a  strong  interest  at  stake,  and 
what  I  ask  is  that  you  go  to  Venice,  see  the  doge, 
and  deliver  to  him  a  letter  which  I  dare  not  trust 
to  other  hands." 

"  What  has  this  to  do  with  the  atonement  you 
spoke  of?" 

"  That  for  its  successful  performance  I  will  grant 


INVASION,  27 

what  you  have  so  often  asked,  and  liberate  Isabelle 
and  Francesco." 

"  For  this  I  will  carry  a  letter  to  whom  you  will. 
I  grieve  whenever  I  see  that  forlorn  little  boy. 
And  the  duchess !  I  would  give  a  year  of  life  to 
free  her,  if  only  because  it  was  I  who  commanded 
her  escort  hither  from  Naples,  and  once,  in  the 
midst  of  many  sorrows,  she  said  with  an  intensity 
of  reproach  that  rings  in  my  ears,  'It  fas  you  -who 
b >'(»/i//i f  me  to  this  unhappy  place  !'  ' 

"  Then  we  are  agreed  already.  But  I  do  not 
conceal  from  you  that  this  is  a  difficult  and  danger 
ous  adventure,  for  every  one  knows  that  it  is  trea 
son  to  Venice  for  the  doge  to  receive  such  a  letter." 

"  By  the  keys  of  St.  Peter,  you  send  me  upon  a 
thorny  quest." 

"  Bunglers  are  caught ;  a  clever  fellow  slips  be 
tween  obstacles  that,  for  the  moment,  are  no  better 
than  watchmen  asleep." 

"  How  will  it  be  possible  to  reach  the  doge?" 

"  Easily  enough.  Their  great  festival  of  the  Mar 
riage  of  the  Sea  has  this  year  been  postponed  from 
Ascension  Day,  first  by  stormy  weather,  then  by 
13arbarigo's  illness,  till  now  it  is  fixed  for  three 
days  hence.  At  that  holiday  all  Venice  is  topsy 
turvy,  the  attention  of  the  council  and  of  the  sig- 
nori  di  notte,  as  they  call  their  police,  is  relaxed. 
For  half  a  day  the  doge  is  comparatively  a  free 
man— it  is  not  supposed  he  can  conspire  with  the 


28  SFORZA. 

Adriatic.  And  in  that  hour  of  celebration,  amid 
the  merrymaking  that  surrounds  the  Bucentoro,  is 
jour  opportunity." 

"  And  I  am  to  give  him  your  letter." 

"Yes,  I  shall  give  you  two  letters, — this  little 
triangular  note  for  Barbarigo,  and  the  other,  as  a 
last  resort,  for  his  brother  who  serves  him  as  sec 
retary,  and  who,  if  the  worst  befall,  and  you  are 
forced  to  see  the  doge  at  his  private  palace,  will 
procure  an  audience." 

':  And  if  I  am  detected     .     .     .     ?  " 

"Beware  of  that.  The  Venetians  watch  their 
doge  as  though  he  were  a  state  prisoner,  and  it 
entails  terrible  risks  for  a  stranger  to  visit  him 
secretly.  That  is  why  I  urge  you  to  slip  it  him  in 
the  crowd  as  though  it  were  a  petition,  for  its  form 
has  a  significance,  and  will  warn  him  that  it  is  no 
ordinary  paper.  Then  your  task  is  done  and  you 
disappear  in  the  throng." 

"  And  for  this  service  you  promise  to  let  Isabelle 
and  Francesco  go  their  ways  whithersoever  they 
please." 

"I  not  only  promise  it  to  you,  but  I  will  so 
declare  it  to  them  this  very  day." 

"  Then  I  am  ready :  but  tell  me,  why  select  me 
for  this  difficult  adventure  ?  " 

"Because,  in  spite  of  our  differences,  there  is 
none  other  I  dare  so  fully  trust." 

"  And  what  says  this  letter  ?  " 


IXVASIOX.  29 

"  That  which  will  fly  straight  to  the  heart  of 
Barbarigo." 

"  You  do  not  expect  me  to  go  alone  ?  " 

"Would  you  take  a  troop  of  horse?  You  are  to 
personate  a  banker's  clerk  commissioned  with  a 
transfer  of  moneys.  I  have  had  notes  made  ready, 
that  you  might  be  equipped  to  sustain  your  char 
acter." 

"  The  man  I  have  in  thought  is  a  tried  swords 
man  of  coolness  and  courage." 

"  And  his  name  ?  " 

"  Xarvaez,  my  master  of  fence." 

"  Take,  then,  your  fencer,  but  bid  him  be  sober 
and  silent.  Here  are  your  letters,  a  memorandum 
of  instructions  you  are  to  read,  a  purse  of  ducats, 
and  a  map  of  the  way.  Provide  your  own  horses, 
leave  to-morrow,  and  remember  that  the  unforeseen 
always  happens." 

A  few  moments  later  Almodoro  and  Bernardino 
Corte  were  shown  into  the  duke's  presence  for  the 
conference  which,  during  the  last  fortnight,  had 
been  part  of  the  daily  routine.  Several  members 
of  this  improvised  council  were  absent ;  Sansev- 
erino,  the  commander-in-chief,  was  awa}r  with 
the  army.  Landriano,  the  high  treasurer,  was 
absorbed  in  his  finances  ;  and  Cardinal  Ascaiiio 
Sforza,  unwilling  to  brook  longer  the  influence  of 
two  men  whom  he  considered,  the  one  a  juggling 


30  SFORZA. 

trickster,  and  the  other  a  mere  soldier  of  parades, 
had  betaken  himself  in  disgust  to  other  duties. 

The  duke  seated  himself  upon  a  long  divan  in 
tended  for  the  afternoon  siesta,  and  called  a  "  lit 
de  repos."  Almodoro  placed  himself  at  the  writ 
ing-table,  and  Bernardino,  jealous  as  the  cardinal 
of  the  alchemist,  sat  a  little  apart  with  face  half 
averted. 

"I  have  called  you,"  began  the  duke,  spreading 
some  despatches  upon  his  knees,  "  to  consider  first 
Landriano's  answer  to  the  question  how  to  draw 
the  utmost  support  from  the  populace.  He  de 
clares  that  the  thousands  that  fill  the  streets  with 
mischievous  talk  should  be  employed  upon  the 
public  Avorks.  He  reminds  me  that  the  canals 
which  drain  the  rice  fields  are  unfinished,  and  says 
half  a  million  ducats  to  keep  the  idle  busy  were 
money  well  spent." 

"Does  he  think,"  asked  Almodoro  with  a  dis 
paraging  air,  "  that  the  city  will  continue  quiet  be 
cause  a  fraction  of  laborers  are  drawing  pay  ?  " 

"  It  is  the  fraction  you  sneer  at,"  answered  Ber 
nardino,  "which  strikes  the  spark  and  sets  the 
firewood  blazing." 

"  At  best,"  retorted  the  soothsayer,  indifferent 
to  the  governor's  ill  humor,  "Landriano's  is  a 
threadbare  answer.  The  duke  needs  money  in 
his  treasury,  not  out  of  it,  and  soldiers — not  an 
army  of  shovellers." 


31 

"  As  for  money,"  observed  the  governor  coolly, 
"  it  must  come  as  usual,  by  way  of  a  loan  from  tlie 
nobles  and  burgesses." 

"  You  can  more  lightly  talk  of  such  a  loan  than 
I  dare  order  it,"  replied  Ludovico  with  a  shake  oi 
the  head. 

"  Then  call  the  Signoria,  as  the  cardinal  sug 
gested,  and  tell  the  situation  in  straightforward 
words." 

"  Can  I  demand  money  and  make  explanations 
in  this  stress  to  a  roomful  of  jealous  nobles,  with  a 
discontented  rabble  in  the  street '?  " 

"  It  were  still  more  hazardous  to  let  the  Vene 
tians  approach  Milan." 

"I  have  thought,"  said  Si'orza,  cunningly,  "of  a 
resort  which  may  prevent  the  Venetian  advance.'' 

At  these  words  Bernardino  changed  his  non 
chalant  attitude  and  eyed  the  duke  intently,  eager 
to  hear  what  this  project  might  be  ;  but  the  dis 
closure  was  prevent  d  by  an  interruption  from 
Almodoro. 

"  Then  speak  it  not,"  exclaimed  the  alchemist 
with  the  familiarity  of  an  intimate  adviser  ;  "  it  is 
needless  for  us  to  know  aught  beyond  our  individ 
ual  duty  ;  and  if  a  caution  be  required  at  this  time, 
behold — here  are  the  names  of  twelve  reputable 
citizens  now  in  correspondence  with  the  enemy." 

Ludovico's  dark  face  flushed  as  he  snatched  the 
paper  ;  then  he  hesitated,  while  the  governor  ob- 


32  SFORZA. 

served  him  in  silence  ;  at  length,  after  a  moment's 
indecision,  he  tossed  it  into  the  soothsayer's  lap. 

"  Take  back  your  list,"  he  said  ;  "  it  is  now  no 
time  to  punish,  and  I  suffer  enough  without  hav 
ing  in  mind  all  the  men  who  wish  me  ill.  Keep 
it  till  autumn ;  then,  if  I  still  live,  bring  it  me 
again." 

"At  least/'  cried  Bernardino,  angrily  addressing 
Almodoro,  "  you  will  tell  the  source  from  which 
you  derive  those  names.  I  wonder,"  he  added, 
half  to  himself,  "  on  whom  your  next  suspicion 
will  fall."  Then,  without  waiting  for  an  answer, 
he  turned  impatiently  and  began  toying  with  the 
amber  figures  of  a  chess  table  that  stood  within 
reach. 

"  My  suspicion  rests  upon  intercepted  letters, 
which  I  am  ready  to  produce,"  replied  the  alche 
mist,  addressing  Sforza.  Then,  glancing  at  Ber 
nardino,  he  added  significantly,  "Is  that  suffi 
cient  ?  " 

At  this  declaration  the  governor  turned  from  his 
chessmen,  and  observed  with  a  careless  gesture : 
"  There  is  never  a  siege  without  disaffected,  and 
what  can  these  twelve  do  more  than  talk  for  them 
selves?"  Then,  speaking  with  sudden  vehemence, 
he  cried  :  "  It  is  little  we  need  think  of  Milan  ;  the 
castle  overawes  the  populace ;  you  have,  you  say, 
an  expedient  whereby  to  save  the  city  from  the 
Venetians  ;  then  our  exclusive  care  should  be  for 


33 

Sanseverino's  army ;  that  it  be  not  exposed  through 
his  rashness  ;  that  it  bo  used  in  such  defensive 
manner  as  to  gain  time  ;  that,  above  all,  we  with 
stand  the  temptation  to  recall  some  part  of  it  for 
our  needs  here." 

''This  despatch,  written  yesterday,"  answered 
Ludovico,  "shows  how  skilfully  the  army  is  dis 
posed  to  watch  the  enemy,  while  keeping  out  of 
reach." 

"Is  not  Landriano  coming  to  the  castle  to-day  ?  " 
asked  Almodoro. 

"  Xo  ;  he  is  busy  settling  arrears." 

"  Then  let  him  take  to-morrow  also  to  sound  the 
bankers  about  a  loan  to  the  treasury,  and,  if  they 
talk  of  security,  give  them  a  mortgage  on  the  lands 
of  the  Cliurch?' 

"  Cardinal  Ascanio  would  invoke  the  anathema 
of  St.  Peter,  if  he  heard  you." 

"  Then  pledge  the  coffers  of  the  Jews." 

"  Ungrateful  rogues !  At  the  first  whisper  of 
war  they  removed  their  money  bags  out  of  the 
country  by  a  scurvy  trick  called  bills  of  exchange." 

Ludovico  interrupted  them  with  an  impatient 
wave  of  the  hand.  "  Landriano  shall  talk  to  the 
usurers,"  he  said  ;  then,  addressing  Bernardino,  he 
added  :  "  One  of  the  contractors  of  supplies  has 
somewhat  to  complain  of,  and  waits  below  at  the 
rail.  I  pray  you  speak  with  him  and  let  me  know 
to-morrow  what  he  asks." 


34  SFORZA. 

At  this  the  governor  withdrew  to  a  chamber, 
where  the  individual  referred  to  waited  on  the 
other  side  of  an  iron  grating,  which  Ludovico's 
fear  of  assassination  put  between  himself  and 
ordinary  persons. 

Almodoro  also  went  his  ways,  and  the  duke  was 
left  alone. 

He  was  still  glancing  over  his  reports  when  a 
paper  of  unfamiliar  appearance  caught  his  eye. 
Within  it  was  written  in  a  strange  hand  : 

" Bernardino  puts  the  torch  to  your  paradise." 


CHAPTER   III. 

ISABELLE   OF  AEAGON. 

IL  MOTTO'S  interviews  with  his  nephew  and  witli 
his  chief  counsellors  disposed  of,  ho  busied  him 
self  with  his  secretaries  until  a  late  hour  in  the 
day,  when,  taking  up  a  silk  cap  and  cloak,  he 
crossed  the  great  courtyard  to  the  residence 
wherein  were  lodged  the  captive  duchess  ami  her 
child. 

This  woman  is  presented  by  contemporary  writ 
ers  as  intelligent,  beautiful,  and  accomplished ; 
but  especially  as  one  of  the  most  ill-fortuned 
characters  of  Italian  history.  Brought  at  the  age 
of  seventeen  from  her  seaside  homo  at  Bari,  she 
was  married,  at  the  instance  of  her  grandfather, 
King  Ferdinand  of  Naples,  to  Galeazzo  Sforza, 
heir  to  the  duchy  of  Milan.  This  prince  had  at 
that  time  been  for  nine  years  under  the  tutelage 
of  his  uncle,  whose  regency  was  evidently  intended 
to  become  permanent. 

Stung  at  length  to  decided  speecli  by  the  appeals 
of  his  granddaughter,  King  Ferdinand  bade  Ludo- 
vico  relinquish  the  honors  he  usurped,  or  accept 
the  alternative  of  war.  To  this  menace  the  duke 


36  SFORZA. 

replied  by  proposing  to  Charles  the  Eighth  of 
France  to  possess  himself  of  the  kingdom  of  Na 
ples  ;  and  the  French  king,  fired  with  an  ardor  for 
conquest,  soon  after  crossed  the  Alps  and  extin 
guished  the  Neapolitan  house  of  Aragon.  Ludo- 
vico  often  exulted  at  this  discomfiture,  and  the 
rapidity  and  completeness  of  his  ingenious  stroke 
made  him  the  envy  and  the  admiration  of  his 
neighbors.  The  main  purpose  of  the  French  ac 
complished,  he  profited  by  their  reverses  to  join 
with  the  Venetians  in  obliging  them  to  an  inglori 
ous  retreat.  In  the  midst  of  these  events  the 
young  Galeazzo  died,  thereby  rendering  Ludovi- 
co's  triumph  complete. 

Upon  this  catastrophe  Isabelle  withdrew  to 
Pavia,  where  she  abandoned  herself  to  uncon 
trolled  grief.  But  fate  had  further  ills  in  store, 
the  first  of  which  was  her  compulsory  return  to 
the  castle  of  Milan,  in  a  captivity  no  longer  dis 
guised,  and  ever  haunted  by  the  dread  that  she 
and  her  child  might  presently  suffer  the  violent 
end  which  mediaeval  statecraft  meted  out  to  the 
heirs  of  a  fallen  foe. 

In  a  seclusion  only  troubled  by  bugle  call  or 
by  the  movement  of  equerries  and  guards,  Isa 
belle  passed  five  weary  years.  By  day,  when  the 
pageant  of  morning  drill  was  over,  the  inmates 
of  the  castle  passed  their  time  in  idleness  as 
vacant  as  the  calm  of  a  cloister.  In  the  warm 


IS  A  BELLE   OF  ARA(WN.  37 

noontide  a  lethargy  settled  upon  rampart  and 
courtyard,  and  at  night  the  changing  of  the  senti 
nels,  or  the  faint  halloo  of  some  roysterer  without 
the  walls,  or  on  state  occasions  a  murmur  of  revels, 
were  the  only  sounds.  Her  short  career  was  to 
her  a  story  of  hateful  memories.  She  had  loved, 
and  her  youth  had  been  full  of  bright  promise  ; 
disappointment  and  humiliation  had  taught  her  to 
suffer  with  patience  ;  and  when  Galeazzo  died,  and 
the  overthrow  of  her  family  at  Naples  left  her 
alone  and  helpless,  the  world  had  darkened  around 
her  with  the  shadows  of  a  changeless  twilight. 

For  an  hour  each  day  she  was  allowed  to  walk 
within  the  castle  enclosure,  followed  at  respectful 
distance  by  a  halberdier.  She  chiefly  sought  a 
retired  angle  of  the  rampart,  where,  through  long 
years  of  peace,  a  dozen  century  plants  had  been 
allowed  to  grow  in  great  old  flower-pots,  while 
beside  them,  and  in  contrast  to  their  thorny  and 
ancient  blades,  sprouted  the  tendrils  and  buds 
of  to-day.  Here  she  would  sit  while  her  child 
played  ball  against  the  rosy  brick  facade  of  the 
keep,  or  scampered  in  pursuit  of  a  huge  dog  which 
was  his  inseparable  companion  ;  and  here,  in  rev 
eries  less  poignant  than  the  memory  of  her  de 
parted  splendor,  she  retraced  the  days  of  her 
girlhood  at  Bari,  and  walked  again  by  the  mur 
muring  Adriatic,  and  listened  to  the  sadness  and 
the  secrets  of  the  sea.  In  such  hours  she  loved 


38  SFORZA. 

to  recall  the  crisp  salt  breeze,  and  the  foaming 
billows,  and  the  argosies  vanishing  upon  the  hori 
zon.  Often  her  fancy  had  followed  these  passing 
vessels  upon  wonderful  cruises,  and  her  imagina 
tion,  dwelling  upon  narratives  of  Oriental  journey- 
ings,  could  picture  the  luxuriant  beauty  of  the 
Levant  as  though  the  touch  of  some  new  Aladdin's 
lamp  had  kindled  its  enchanted  brilliance.  And 
even  now  the  fabled  East,  which  had  filled  so 
many  early  days,  still  haunted  these  heavy  years 
of  imprisonment.  For  beside  the  bench  whereon 
she  rested  was  a  Saracenic  sundial,  which,  in  a 
bygone  generation,  had  Keen  the  gift  of  a  Genoese 
merchant  to  some  departed  Sforza.  Time  and 
exposure  had  chipped  and  stained  its  rich  cjudlo 
marble,  in  whose  centre  a  caliph  of  Bagdad  had 
written  a  thought  of  the  transiency  of  earthly 
things,  that  could  both  moderate  the  excess  of  joy 
and  soften  the  edge  of  sorrow  : 

"  And  this,  too,  shall  pass  away  ! " 

Often  had  Isabelle  mused  over  the  blurred 
tracery  of  this  solemn  inscription,  with  a  wonder 
ing  speculation  upon  the  life  by  whose  failures  it 
must  have  been  suggested.  In  what  enchanted 
garden  of  the  Orient  had  this  tablet  rested  ages 
ago?  How  many  thousands  must  have  lingered 
to  read  its  melancholy  admonition !  With  how 
enduring  a  voice  did  the  caliph  speak  from  the 


ISAIiELLK   OF  ARAGON.  39 

tomb,  and  with  how  profound  a  truth  of  the  yearn 
ing  of  inexperience,  and  of  the  bereavement  of 
age  ! 

Unconscious  of  the  visit  she  was  presently  to 
receive,  Isabelle  had  prepared  to  pass  the  evening 
with  her  fancy  work,  seated,  as  usual,  in  a  boudoir 
which  looked  upon  the  courtyard,  and  which  was 
flanked  on  one  side  by  an  oratory,  and  on  the 
other  by  a  sleeping-room,  whose  open  door  per 
mitted  a  glimpse  of  a  great  high  bed  hung  with 
draperies  of  sarcenet  that  fell  on  each  side  of  the 
little  flight  of  steps  by  which  the  couch  was 
reached.  There  was  small  semblance  of  luxury 
about  this  modest  lodging ;  the  tiled  floor  was 
uncovered ;  in  the  middle  of  the  room  was  a  table, 
and  here,  beneath  a  cluster  of  lights,  the  boy  Fran 
cesco  was  eating  a  bowl  of  porridge  by  the  side  of 
his  mother.  Isabelle  had  turned  in  listlessness 
from  the  tapestry  which  stood  before  her  with  its 
half-finished  shapes  of  stately  promise,  and  sky  of 
enchanted  coloring,  and  tracery  of  branches  with 
rare  and  fabled  fruit. 

In  a  corner,  and  evidently  neglected,  leaned  an 
ivory  lute  of  exquisite  workmanship,  with  curved 
neck  bent  like  the  throat  of  a  swan,  and  about  it  a 
ribbon  that  had  figured  on  many  a  brilliant  even 
ing  when  the  duchess  had  touched  her  instrument 
and  brought  from  its  singing  strings  the  wild  and 
sweet  and  languorous  melodies  of  her  Neapolitan 


40  SFORZA. 

home.  Before  her,  and  covering  the  unused  fire 
place,  stood  a  damask  screen  which,  in  the  first 
months  of  her  married  life,  Isabelle  had  embroid 
ered  with  the  familiar  amaranths  of  her  garden. 
It  was  one  of  her  few  mementos  of  those  remote 
and  short-lived  days  ;  and  now,  in  the  solitude  and 
silence  of  her  captivity,  and  amid  the  sombre 
recollections  that  pursued  her,  those  faded  little 
flowers  seemed  the  blossoms  of  a  lost  and  incom 
parable  summer.  On  the  wall  above  hung  a  sketch 
of  herself,  taken  when  a  child  playing  by  the  sea 
side  at  Bari,  with  the  rippling  Adriatic  at  her  feet, 
and,  in  the  offing,  an  argosy  sailing  magnificently 
away  beneath  towering  canvas.  The  sight  of  this 
picture  brought  only  heartburn  and  an  infinite 
compassion,  and  yet  it  was  the  most  cherished  of 
all  her  humble  possessions.  But  to  Franceschino, 
the  portrait  of  his  little-girl  mamma  was  a  never- 
failing  interest,  and  he  often  said — prompted 
doubtless  by  the  recitals  and  romances  of  his 
nurse — that  the  argosy  bore  their  better  fortune, 
and  would  put  about  some  day,  in  God's  good 
time,  and  restore  to  them  their  missing  treasure. 

Ludovico,  crossing  the  courtyard,  noticed  some 
one  wrapped,  like  himself,  in  a  silk  cloak,  coming 
from  Isabelle's  residence.  He  called ;  the  figure 
halted,  then  advanced  with  bared  head,  and  he 
recognized  Bernardino  Corte. 

"  What   is    here    amiss  ? "  exclaimed  the   duke, 


1SABELLE  OF  A  RAG  ON.  41 

angry  and  suspicious  at  the  untimely  presence  of 
the  governor,  and  still  filled  with  the  impressions 
of  the  anonymous  warning. 

"  Merely  a  round  of  duty,"  replied  Bernardino, 
with  perfect  assurance.  "After  visiting  the  posts 
I  stopped  to  inquire  of  the  lady  within  concerning 
a  message  the  castellana  brought  me." 

"  Such  evening  visits  will  breed  scandal ;  you 
will  listen  to  her  messages  by  daylight  hereafter." 

"  Hereafter  I  shall  leave  them  wholly  to  your 
pleasure,  Signer  Duca,"  replied  the  other,  with  an 
accent  of  sarcasm  piercing  the  suavity  of  his  voice. 

Ludovico  moved  abruptly  away,  and,  ascending 
the  stair,  whose  arched  walls  were  lighted  by  a 
single  taper,  entered  Isabelle's  room  unannounced, 
and,  pausing  at  the  threshold,  threw  aside  his  cap 
and  cloak,  and  took  in  at  a  glance  the  familiar  as 
pect  of  the  room  and  the  group  before  him, — the 
sturdy  boy  with  eyes  intent,  the  mother  in  robes  of 
mourning,  and  in  her  hair  a  band  of  gold,  sole  relic 
of  her  lost  insignia.  And  in  the  pale  statuesque 
face  she  turned  toward  him  he  read  the  first  quick 
glance  of  aversion,  that  faded  instantly  to  the  bland 
composure  of  Italian  self-restraint. 

She  rose  as  he  entered  and  stood  looking  fixedlv 
at  him.  Fastened  about  the  waist  of  her  bodice 
was  a  silver  chain,  to  which  were  attached  a  pair 
of  scissors,  a  crucifix,  and  a  diminutive  breviary, 
which  she  hold  in  her  hands  before  her.  At  her 


42  SFOHZA. 

throat  and  wrists,  and  where  the  sleeves  of  her 
dress  were  slashed  at  the  elbow,  after  the  fashion 
of  the  time,  was  a  border  of  linen ;  her  hair  curled 
over  her  brow  and  fell  at  her  side  in  braids,  and 
upon  the  back  of  her  head  was  a  small  pointed  cap 
with  edging  of  lace. 

"  You  will,  pray,  pardon  my  abrupt  intrusion," 
began  Sforza. 

"I  beg  you  to  be  seated,"  answered  Isabelle, 
motioning  coldly  to  a  chair,  and  resuming  her 
place. 

The  duke  settled  himself  at  his  ease,  nodded 
good-naturedly  to  the  boy  Francesco,  and  said  in 
his  quiet  voice  : 

"  You  must  sometimes  be  lonesome  here,  and  for 
once,  having  matters  of  comforting  and  reassuring 
import  to  speak  of,  I  have  interrupted  your  quiet 
evening  with  glad  tidings." 

"  I  am  ready  to  listen,"  replied  the  lady,  with  an 
indifference  suggestive  of  small  faith  in  the  prom 
ised  good  news  ;  then,  addressing  her  child,  wrho 
had  dropped  his  porridge-spoon  and  sat  leaning 
forward  upon  his  elbows  with  his  wondering  gaze 
rivetted  upon  the  duke,  she  said  : 

'•  Franceschino  mio,  get  thee  to  bed  :  Maria  waits 
in  the  room  yonder;  close  fast  the  door,  and  omit 
not  thy  prayers."  , 

"  First  bid  me  good-night,"  said  Ludovico,  hold 
ing  out  both  hands  to  the  boy,  who  had  risen  and 


ISMiKI.LE   OF  ARAGON.  43 

kissed  his  mother.  "  How  stout  a  youth  we  grow ! " 
he  continued,  as  the  child  drew  reluctantly  toward 
him.  "  Shake  hands,  so,  felicissima  notte,  and  listen, 
W7ill  you  hear  a  word  of  good  sense?  "When  you 
are  a  man,  gather  information  from  all,  but  take 
advice  from  none.  Can  you  remember  that?  " 

"  But  some  people  take  everything,"  objected 
the  child. 

"  Bah  !  "  ejaculated  the  duke,  stung  by  the  apt 
ness  of  the  retort,  "  at  least  they  will  not  get  thy 
good  looks,  nor  the  care-free  heart  that  beats  un 
der  thy  jacket." 

"  To  bed,  to  bed,"  interposed  Isabelle,  as  the 
boy  was  about  to  answer  ;  then,  when  the  door 
closed,  she  added  with  a  sudden  and  vehement  bit 
terness  : 

"  You  come  to  taunt  me  as  ever — to  mock  at  the 
helpless  fate  of  my  child  !  Ah,  may  it  be  your 
punishment  after  death,  since  there  is  110  retribu 
tion  here  011  earth,  to  see  your  descendants  make 
havoc  with  the  fair  fame  and  the  riches  and  the 
power  you  have  filched  from  me  and  mine." 

"  By  heaven,  you  wrong  me  ! "  ejaculated  II 
Moro,  starting  from  his  easy  position,  and  cross 
ing  himself  with  a  look  of  superstitious  alarm. 
"  I  come  to  speak  kindly,  and,  however  unwelcome 
myself,  to  tell  you  something  you  will  be  infinitely 
glad  to  hear." 

"  It   were  strange,  indeed,   to  receive  good  tid- 


44  SFORZA. 

ings !  "  retorted  the  duchess,  relapsing  into  an  apa 
thy  of  manner  which  had  become  habitual. 

"  First,  are  we  alone  ?  No  eavesdroppers  about 
your  walls  ?  " 

"  None  :  the  old  nurse  is  deaf,  as  you  know." 

"  True,  I  forgot,  no  one  comes  here  but  myself." 

"  Then  say  on, — stay  !  "  interposed  Isabelle,  with 
a  woman's  subtle  perception;  "when  you  say 
none  come  here,  you  mean,  with  the  next  breath, 
to  accuse  me  of  receiving  Bernardino  Corte,  whom 
quite  probably  you  met  in  the  court." 

"  Has  Bernardino  been  here  ?  "  asked  Sforza, 
with  a  puzzled  look.  "  What  can  possibly  bring 
him  to  you  at  this  hour?" 

"How  can  I  tell  what  brings  him  ?  Of  course  it 
is  not  the  reason  he  gives,  that  you  have  bidden 
him  torment  me." 

"  I  shall  reprove  him  for  meddling,"  answered 
the  duke  with  an  evident  displeasure,  which  Isa 
belle  rightly  attributed  to  vexation  at  seeing  his 
inquiry  baffled.  "  And  now,"  he  continued,  resum 
ing  the  courtly  manner  that  had  left  him  in  that 
moment's  impatience,  "  to  the  matter  that  brings 
me.  It  is  a  month  since  I  last  spoke  with  you, 
and  in  four  weeks  many  things  have  happened." 

"It  is  to  the  next  four  weeks  I  chiefly  look," 
observed  Isabelle  with  malice  that  showed  through 
the  calm  of  her  measured  speech. 

"  Because    you    anticipate    misfortune    to   me  ? 


IHABELLK   OF  AKA(WX.  45 

Were  it  not  wiser  to  conciliate  my  advances  than 
to  buffet  them  back  ?  " 

The  duke  spoke  with  quick,  spontaneous  feeling, 
his  figure  bending  forward,  his  arms  extended. 

Isabelle  Hushed  in  resentment  at  words  that 
seemed  so  gross  a  perversion,  and  answered  in  a 
vehement  burst  of  anger  : 

"  I  conciliate  your  advances  !  "  she  cried  with 
scornful  indignation,  'you,  that  sought  to  prevent 
my  wedding  ! — that  persecuted  Galeazzo  till  he 
died  broken-hearted,  powerless  to  smite  you  save 
with  the  silent  reproach  of  his  eyes  ! — you,  that 
have  deprived  me  of  all  you  now  possess,  that  have 
kept  me  these  years  imprisoned,  and  fed  me  upon 
the  griefs  that  every  anniversary  recalls  ! — you, 
whose  interest  it  is  to  kill  my  child,  and  whose 
cruel  heart  bids  you  strike  !  Can  such  as  you  be 
the  friend  of  the  defenceless  ?  " 

Ludovico,  listening  with  cold  and  dangerous 
anger  glittering  in  his  eyes,  measured  in  that  in 
stant  the  full  magnitude  of  his  captive's  desola 
tion.  Under  the  conflicting  emotions  aroused  by 
her  words  he  hesitated  for  an  instant,  and,  turn 
ing  from  her,  walked  up  and  down  the  further  end 
of  the  room,  to  pause  at  length  before  the  little 
oratory.  He  looked  with  a  curious  interest  at  the 
altar,  and  at  the  cherubim  frescoed  on  the  wall, 
that  had  floated  down  a  century  with  scarce  dimin 
ished  bloom  of  cheek,  and  with  the  same  seraphic; 


46  SFORZA . 

joy.  At  his  feet  rested  a  cradle  of  elaborate  carv 
ing,  which  he  eyed  with  a  bitter  smile.  In  it  had 
been  rocked,  in  infancy,  four  generations  of  Sforza, 
— the  child  Francesco,  Galeazzo,  Galeazzo  Maria, 
and  Francesco  the  elder.  His  thoughts  passed 
from  the  boy  who  had  gone  to  his  rest  in  the  adjoin 
ing  room,  to  the  sad  life  of  that  boy's  father;  to 
Galeazzo  Maria  and  his  career  of  storm  and  shadow ; 
and  back  to  the  Francesco  of  a  hundred  years  ago, 
who  had  founded  their  fortune  and  their  name. 
And  looking  at  this  humble  reminder  of  a  sombre 
past,  the  impressions  of  the  lowering  present  filled 
him  with  a  sudden  weariness  of  life  ;  of  its  ingrat 
itudes  devoured  in  secret ;  of  its  false  signposts 
that  cheat  discretion ;  of  its  chagrins  decked  out 
in  harlequin's  disguise.  And  moved  by  a  sudden 
impulse,  and  softened  by  a  tender  remembrance, 
Ludovico  walked  tpaickly  back  to  where  Isabelle 
sat,  and  said  : 

"  You  do  me  injustice.  The  jealousies  and  rival 
ries  with  which  you  and  my  Beatrice  afflicted  one 
another  impelled  me  beyond  my  deliberate  inten 
tion." 

"  Spare  me  at  least  the  mention  of  that  hateful 
name." 

"Speak  not  harshly  of  the  dead;  whatever  hns 
been  done  amiss  is  beyond  remedy,  nor  would  it 
avail  me  anything  to  excuse  or  defend  the  past.  It 
is  of  the  future  I  would  speak— of  the  future  of 


ISABELLA   OF  ARAOON.  47 

yourself  and  your  child.  You  are  not  unaware 
that  a  great  danger  threatens  Milan  ?" 

"  You  began  by  intimating  as  much,"  answered 
the  ex-duchess,  with  a  look  of  suppressed  triumph. 

"  But  you  know  more  than  I  have  told  you," 
objected  II  More,  as  his  suspicion  reverted  to  the 
governor's  clandestine  visit.  "  Said  Bernardino 
Corte  nothing  ?  " 

"Ay,  he  did;  he  said  you  Avere  at  war  with 
France,  and  that  your  army  is  commanded  by  a 
certain  Sanseveriuo,  whom  I  myself  remember  as 
a  captain  of  the  parade  ground — a  feeble  chief, 
methinks,  to  send  in  the  face  of  an  enemy  ?  " 

"  And  what  said  he  more  ?  " 

"Nothing;  but  the  populace  must  be  making 
ready  to  rise  against  you,  when  the  castellana 
said  yesterday  she  had  sent  her  children  to  a 
distance." 

"  They  are  babbling  fools !  "  exclaimed  Ludo- 
vico,  disconcerted  by  these  dexterous  thrusts.  "  It 
matters  not.  They  shall  have  small  occasion  for 
further  confidence.  It  was  to  tell  you  great  news 
that  I  came  here  to-night.  I  am  about  to  set  you 
and  Francesco  at  liberty — you  start — well,  it  is  not 
wholly  to  me  you  owe  this.  I  see  in  it  my  own 
advantage,  since  your  release  will  divert  much  of 
the  fury  of  this  storm,  at  least  so  far  as  to  appease 
the  Milanese.  Mark  you  with  what  openness  I 
speak.  But,  further,  your  liberation  has  been 


48  SFORZA. 

asked  by  my  nephew  as  the  reward  of  an  infinite 
service.  If  he  acquit  himself  well,  the  Venetian  ad 
vance  will  be  stajed  :  your  release  averts  the  peril 
of  an  uprising  within  the  city,  and  leaves  me  clear 
to  meet  the  French  with  all  my  forces  and  with 
myself  at  their  head  ;  and  therefore  I  have  con 
sented  to  Hermes'  condition.  Immediately  upon 
his  return,  a  troop  of  horse  shall  escort  you  south 
ward  to  your  beloved  Bari,  and  you  and  I  will 
distress  one  another  no  more." 

Taught  by  evil  experience,  Isabelle  scanned  this 
project  only  to  discover  its  ulterior  motive.  To 
her  view,  so  suspicious  a  proffer  must  cover  a 
snare.  Moreover,  she  had  in  Bernardino  Corte  a 
secret  and  ambitious  friend,  whom,  in  the  impend 
ing  crisis,  she  meant  to  use  to  tremendous  pur 
pose.  She  knew  that  a  withdrawal  at  this  decisive 
moment  meant  the  abandonment  of  the  sovereignty 
she  had  never  ceased  to  claim,  and  a  far-reaching 
plan  flashed  upon  her  as  she  answered  : 

"  You  have  kept  me  here  against  my  will,  and 
now  that  this  prison  has  become  my  only  refuge, 
you  thrust  me  from  it." 

To  this  Ludovico  replied  with  an  impatience 
which  confirmed  the  duchess  in  her  ominous  mis 
giving. 

"  Your  release  has  been  for  years  entreated  by 
yourself  and  many  others !  "  he  exclaimed,  "  and 
now  that  it  is  granted  you  reject  it  ?  " 


1SABELLE    OF  ARAGO.\.  49 

"  In  such  perilous  times  I  should  surely  run 
upon  some  misadventure  ;  while  here,  as  you  and 
Bernardino  Corte  have  sworn  a  thousand  times,  I 
need  fear  nothing." 

"  But,"  objected  the  duke,  with  a  decided  ges 
ture,  "  times  are  changed  since  those  assurances 
were  given,  and  the  day  may  come,  ere  long,  when 
this  citadel  will  be  besieged, — when  its  garrison 
may  have  to  endure  extreme  privation.  How  will 
you  fare  then?  " 

The  duchess  eyed  him,  as  he  spoke,  with  in 
tense  and  deliberate  scrutiny,  and  read,  as  she 
imagined,  a  world  of  dissimulation  in  his  face. 
Then,  with  a  laugh  of  sardonic  incredulity,  she 
answered  : 

"  If,  indeed,  this  fortress  stands  as  the  last  bul 
wark  of  our  family,  then  here,  among  its  defenders, 
is  my  place." 

II  Moro  felt  the  irony  of  this  reply,  and  with  an 
angry  imprecation  he  retorted  : 

"  It  is  a  necessity  that  you  leave  Milan,  and  you 
shall  go, — if  need  be,  strapped  to  the  back  of  the 
horse  that  carries  you  !  " 

"  Ah !  now,  at  last,  we  touch  the  truth  !  "  ex 
claimed  Isabolle,  with  an  outcry  of  pretended  sur 
prise  and  rage  ;  "  it  is  thus  you  grant  me  liberty, 
— to  please  Hermes,  forsooth  !  I  am  to  be  carried 
away  by  force  at  the  mercy  of  a  band  of  your 
bravos,  and,  in  some  defile  of  the  Apennines,  a 
4 


50  SFORZA. 

couple  of  sword-strokes  will  rid  you  of  me  and  of 
Francesco  forever." 

"  By  St.  Peter,  Hermes  shall  prove  the  truth  of 
my  words." 

"  Good  !  Bring  him  here,  and  what  Hermes  tells 
me  I  will  believe." 

The  duke's  countenance  suddenly  changed. 

"I  cannot  bring  Hermes,"  he  said.  "He  has 
left  the  castle  and  could  not  now  be  found ;  to- 
morroAv  at  daybreak  he  leaves  Milan." 

"  Could  not  now  be  found  !  Why,  but  an  hour 
ago  I  saw  him  idling  across  the  courtyard.  Ah, 
Sforza,  you  know  you  dare  not  bring  him  face  to 
face  with  me." 

Perplexed  by  the  taunts  of  this  helpless  woman, 
and  stung  by  these  successive  affronts,  the  duke 
stood  silent,  and  his  face,  that  had  reddened  with 
anger,  grew  pale. 

"  Mark  you  that !  "  cried  the  duchess,  with  hand 
outstretched  as  though  she  would  have  smitten 
him,  "  a  lie,  'tis  said,  brings  a  blush,  and  shame 
can  blanch  even  the  cheek  of  a  tyrant." 

The  duke's  eyes  were  fastened  upon  her  in  omi 
nous  silence,  and  his  fingers  closed  upon  the  ready 
stiletto,  but  Isabelle  heeded  nothing. 

"  Torment  me  no  longer  with  your  proffers  and 
regrets,"  she  said,  "  nor  seek  to  pass  the  gulf  that 
separates  us.  Fare  you  back  to  \our  council 
chamber  and  order  the  march  of  your  army  ;  and 


IS  A  BELLE   OF  A  R  Ad  OX.  51 

when  you  lie  awake  in  the  silence  of  the  dawn,  you 
will  hear,  as  I  do,  something  in  the  air  that  bodes 
of  great  events.  'Twas  but  last  night  I  dreamt 
that  all  my  sorrows  came  to  me  with  glistening  eyes 
and  radiant  faces,  each  one  of  them  transfigured. 
Oh  !  you  may  scoff  and  sneer,  yet  you  should  covet 
dreams  like  these,  though  you  are  free.  What  evil 
remembrances  must  come  to  you,  what  disquieting 
visions,  what  forebodings  of  the  day  wrheu  hostile 
cannon  shall  be  trained  upon  these  walls,  and  the 
French  flag  is  carried  in  triumph  through  yonder 
streets." 

Ere  she  finished  speaking  came  a  sound  at  wrhich 
both  started — a  sharp  and  imperative  rap  at  the 
knocker.  It  wras  an  interruption  of  evidently  seri 
ous  import,  and  both  paused  for  an  instant  and 
drew  back  from  one  another.  Then  the  duke 
threw  wide  the  door  and  beheld  one  of  his  own 
pages. 

"  What  is  it,  boy  ?  "  he  exclaimed  eagerly,  though 
with  an  accent  of  relief. 

"  Signor  Duca,  a  despatch  marked  Immediate; 
Messer  Bernardino  bade  me  bring  it  here  at 
once."  And  the  youth  presented  a  parchment 
double  sealed  and  fresh  from  a  courier's  wallet. 

Ludovico  brought  the  letter  to  the  light.  The 
watchful  Isabelle  read  its  ill  news  in  his  over 
clouding  brow,  and  caught  the  words  he  muttered 
above  his  breath  : 


52  SFOEZA. 

"  Cremona  taken  by  the  Venetians  !  " 

He  folded  the  letter,  while  his  eyes  instinctively 
sought  the  duchess.  But  Isabelle  was  no  longer 
in  the  room.  He  looked  about  him  and  beheld 
her  kneeling  at  the  oratory  altar,  with  her  arms 
extended  to  heaven. 


CHAPTER   IV. 

THE    MARRIAGE    OF   THE    SEA. 

HERMES  had  little  difficulty  in  persuading  Nar- 
vae/  to  start  with  him  on  the  following  morning,  in 
consideration  of  a  purse  of  ducats,  and  upon  the 
stipulation  that  he  should  serve  merely  as  guide 
and  companion,  and  be  in  no  wise  responsible  for 
the  discharge  of  their  mission,  which,  though 
vaguely  indicated,  the  fencing-master  divined  to  be 
beyond  his  methods.  As  he  had  lived  in  Venice 
and  knew  the  ways  of  the  people,  and  could  thread 
his  way  afoot  through  its  labyrinths,  his  selection 
,  promised  to  be  of  more  practical  value  than  Ludo- 
vico  had  conceived  it. 

The  first  day  of  their  journey  was  spent  in  one 
of  the  canvas-covered  post-wagons  of  the  period, 
which,  passing  by  a  northern  route,  brought  them 
in  rear  of  the  Venetian  army.  Here  they  were 
made  to  exhibit  their  papers,  and  were  delayed  by 
the  march  of  a  rear  guard  of  Stradiot  light  horse 
and  Dalmatian  infantry ;  here,  too,  they  passed 
the  provveditori,  whose  charge  it  was  to  watch 
the  conduct  of  every  general  in  the  field ;  and 
not  far  behind  came  a  company  of  leeches,  nurses, 


54  SFORZA. 

and  cooks,  destined  for  the  care  of  the  wounded. 
Early  on  the  third  morning  they  entered  a  gon 
dola,  and  glided  swiftly  across  the  lagoon  of  Fu- 
sina,  leaving  behind  the  fishing-boats,  whose  red 
sails  waited  vainly  for  the  breeze,  and  the  round- 
bowed  market  barges  with  freight  of  poultry  and, 
vegetables.  Against  the  creamy  flushes  of  the 
eastern  sky  appeared  the  pointed  campanili,  and 
above  a  misty  outline  of  roofs  rose  domes  and 
spires.  Southward  lay  a  sandbar  which  hid  the 
sea,  whose  salt  odor  reached  them;  but  toward  the 
north  they  beheld  successive  lines  of  violet  hills, 
and  behind  them  the  dolomites  of  Cadore  and  the 
peak  of  the  giant  Antelao.  Narvaez  directed  their 
course  to  an  obscure  trattoria  in  the  quarter  called 
II  Rialto,  which  gave  its  name  to  a  floating  wooden 
bridge  on  the  Grand  Canal.  They  passed  under 
many  arched  footways,  nearly  grazing  the  corners 
as  they  turned  with  musical  splash  of  the  oars. 
Hermes  laughed  with  delight  at  the  glimpses  of 
marble  balconies  and  colonnades,  and  of  frescoes 
brilliant  as  flowers. 

A  sudden  cry — Sciar  ! — and  a  backward  dip,  and 
they  were  before  the  slimy  and  discolored  steps 
which  gave  ingress  to  the  hiding-place  which  Nar 
vaez  had  selected.  Its  first  impression  upon  the 
fastidious  Hermes  was  of  an  odor  of  seaweed  and 
floating  substances  long  past  their  prime  ;  nor  was 
this  perception  bettered  by  the  information  that 


THE   MARRIAGE   OF   THE  SEA.  55 

tlic  cheer  of  the  house  was  so  meagre  as  to  have 
proeuivd  for  it  the  nickname  of  1'Osteria  della 
Fame,  I  lie  Imnyry  hold. 

"  We  sliall  pass  our  time  here  undisturbed," 
whispered  the  fencing-master,  with  unintended 
sarcasm,  as  they  seated  themselves  alone  in  the 
eating-room,  while  the  servants  bustled  away  for 
breakfast. 

"  Think  you  I  will  eat  or  sleep  beside  a  kitchen 
that  gives  out  that  musty  odor  ?  " 

"But,  signore  mio,  you  bade  me  bring  you  to 
a  place  where  even  the  Council  of  Ten — an  ill 
digestion  to  them — could  not  find  you,  and  you 
drop  into  this  bird's  nest  and  are  as  completely 
lost  to  sight  as  though  your  uncle's  soothsayer 
had  whisked  you  back  to  Milan." 

"Well,  well,"  answered  Hermes  impatiently,  "let 
us  eat  and  be  gone  ;  we  will  hasten  to  that  famous 
piazzetta — the  andata  starts  at  three — perhaps  we 
may  leave  Venice  to-night." 

An  hour  later  they  sallied  out  at  the  rear  of 
the  hungry  hotel,  and  crossed  the  Rial  to,  where 
Hermes  cast  a  wondering  glance  at  the  type  of 
Shylock  in  Jewish  gaberdine,  and  overheard  more 
than  one  Bassanio  chatting  with  his  friends  ;  and 
where,  pausing  to  gaze  down  the  vista  of  the 
Grand  Canal,  he  saw  young  faces,  gravely  beau 
tiful  as  Portia's,  passing,  as  the  gondolas  — 
brilliant  in  those  days  witli  gilding  and  pol- 


50  SFORZA. 

ished  woods  and  varied    colors — flew    noiselessly 

by- 

"  How  is  it,"  exclaimed  Hermes,  looking  about 
him,  "  that  you  lived  a  year  in  this  place  and  never 
talked  to  me  of  it?  " 

"  I  once  began  to  tell  you  of  the  piazzetta,"  re 
plied  the  Spaniard.  "  I  said  that  great  diamonds 
sparkling  made  me  think  of  Venice — and  at  that 
you  laughed,  and  I  said  no  more." 

They  passed  on  through  a  street  which  widened 
around  a  well  with  its  stone  rim  grooved  where  the 
ropes  had  been  lowered  and  raised  for  centuries, 
until  they  reached  the  Merceria,  or  arcade  of 
shops,  with  its  profusion  of  wares — filigree,  mir 
rors,  mosaics,  silks  and  velvets,  spices  and  tapes 
tries,  ivory  and  weapons,  indulgences  from  Home, 
and  relics  from  the  Holy  Laud.  Through  the  clock 
tower  they  emerged  upon  the  Piazza  San  Marco, 
and,  for  a  moment,  both  paused  to  gaze  upon  the 
scene  thus  disclosed. 

The  great  fair  annually  held  at  the  feast  of  the 
Marriage  of  the  Sea  was  nearly  over,  in  conse 
quence  of  this  year's  postponement  of  the  festival; 
but  the  piazza  was  still  surrounded  by  a  row  of 
temporary  shops,  while  of  the  thousands  who 
resorted  to  Venice  in  the  spring-time  of  every  year, 
enough  still  lingered  to  fill  the  square  with  gay 
and  busy  groups.  Before  St.  Mark's  stood  three 
flagstaffs,  from  which  floated  the  gonfalons  em- 


THE  MAltlflACfE   OF    THE   HE  A.  57 

blematic  of  tho  chief  dominions  of  the  republic, 
Candi.i,  Cyprus,  and  the  Morea.  Beyond  rose  the 
two  immortal  red  pillars  and  the  carnation  fay  ado 
of  the  doge's  palace  ;  before  it  troops  of  children 
went  hither  and  thither,  strewing  flowers  in  imita 
tion  of  a  festival  of  the  Levant  called  the  Scatter 
ing  of  the  Roses,  while  in  the  shade  of  the  prom 
enade  of  the  Broglio— whose  name,  "the  Brawl," 
suggests  the  noisy  conversation  of  the  ancient 
Venetians  — sat  the  Italian  story-teller  unfolding 
his  exhaustless  romance  to  knots  of  dreamy  list 
eners,  who  from  time  to  time  sipped  coffee  and 
oriental  sherbets. 

On  the  broad  expanse  of  water  before  them  the 
sunlight  laid  its  radiant  gleams,  —  a  reflex,  thought 
Hermes,  of  that  brilliant  tracery  with  which  Venice 
has  written  her  incomparable  story  upon  the  sea. 
In  the  foreground  several  vessels  rode  at  anchor, — 
argosies  with  half-spread  sails,  and  close  together 
a  Spanish  felucca  and  an  English  two-master, 
whose  crews  exchanged  disparaging  repartees, — 
while  off  the  marble  steps  lay  the  doge's  renowned 
galley,  //  Sucentoro  :  its  gilded  surface,  the  multi 
tude  of  polished  oars  folded  against  its  sides,  the 
costly  draperies  which  shaded  its  decks,  and  the 
immense  lanterns  and  flags  with  which  it  was  deco 
rated,  giving  it  an  appearance  in  keeping  with  the 
mystical  grandeur  of  the  ceremony  to  which  it  was 
chiefly  dedicated. 


58  SFORZA. 

"  HOAV  can  I  hope  to  be  admitted?  "  murmured 
Hermes,  "  still  less  to  conceal  myself  on  board  ?  " 

'That  you  may  get  on  board,"  answered  the 
Spaniard,  "  is  not  impossible  ;  but  that  you  should 
be  permitted  to  approach  the  doge  seems  prepos 
terous.  But  our  first  care  should  be  to  recon 
noitre,  as  it  were,  the  enemy's  stronghold ;  for  this 
we  need  a  boat." 

"But,"  objected  Hermes,  "to  employ  Venetian 
boatmen  would  be  to  put  a  guard  upon  ourselves." 

"  I  have  foreseen  that,"  replied  Narvaez,  motion 
ing  away  the  men  who,  observing  their  scrutiny  of 
the  quay,  pressed  forward  like  hungry  animals,  with 
cries  of  "gondole,  gondole."  Then,  leading  bis  com 
panion  toward  the  quarter  frequented  by  foreign 
sailors,  he  added  :  "And  for  that  reason  are  we  to 
meet  here  on  the  Riva  de'  Schiavoni  a  couple  of 
trusty  lads  whom  the  hotel  has  provided — a  brace 
of  Spaniards  T  asked  for — stay,  that  fellow  with 
patched  breeches,  see,  he  comes  towards  us." 

"Have  I  ever  seen  you  before?  "  inquired  Nar 
vaez  softly,  as  the  boatman  approached. 

"  Oxteria  della  Fame,  yes,"  answered  the  sailor, 
speaking  with  a  Maltese  accent. 

"  Have  you  a  boat  ?  " 

"  Not  I,  siguore  ;  do  you  take  me  for  a  wealthy 
nobleman  like  yourself  ?  " 

"  There  were  to  bo  two  men  and  a  pinnace." 

"  Misericordia  !  and  is  not  everything  prepared  ? 


Till-:  MARRIAGE   OF   THE  fill  A.  59 

— all  thanks  to  St.  Michael  !  My  mate  is  a  Greek, 
a  God-fearing-  man,  and  yonder  lies  his  boat." 

"  Call  me  your  Greek  and  make  ready." 

The  Maltese  returned  with  a  sailor  roughly  clad 
as  himself,  and  with  the  ignoble  face  and  fawning 
speech  of  the  modern  Hellene. 

"Will  foreign  boatmen  like  yourselves  be  allowed 
to  follow  the  andata  ?  " 

"  We  will  not  follow,  we  will  precede  it,"  replied 
ths  Greek,  with  a  cunning  smile  ;  "  besides,  it  is  a 
public  festival,  whoever  will  may  go." 

'•  Aboard,  then,  and  look  to  it  that  we  infringe 
no  rule  of  the  port  or  of  the  master  of  ceremonies  ; 
and  first  steer  to  the  Bucentoro,  that  we  may  view 
her  closer." 

They  hoisted  sail  and  pointed  towards  the  doge's 
galley.  Already,  at  this  early  hour,  it  seemed  a 
hive  of  beings  ;  on  the  deck  were  gathered  senators 
and  nobles,  the  ambassadors  of  foreign  states,  and 
ladies  of  rank  ;  near  the  prow  the  Papal  nuncio 
conversed  with  half  a  do/en  monsignori ;  a  throng 
of  musicians  with  the  famous  silver  trumpets  stood 
at  the  stern,  while  below  deck  could  be  heard  the 
bustling  and  talking  of  the  hundreds  of  slaves  who 
were  presently  to  pull  at  the  oars. 

"  My  uncle's  command  is  folly,"  whispered 
Hermes  with  vexation  ;  "there  is  no  sense  in  even 
following  the  andata." 

"Nevertheless,  illnstrissimo,  lose  not  the  chance 


00  SFORZA. 

of  this  occasion ;  the  eyes  of  all  will  be  so  en 
grossed  that  every  soul  will  presently  be  heed 
less  of  what  is  done  apart  this  ceremonial." 

"Be  it  so,"  murmured  Hermes  resignedly;  "if 

1  am  not  at  the  andata,  Ludovico  will  say  I  missed 
the  opportunity  ;  it  will  prove  useless,  and  to-night 
we  will  seek  the  doge  at  his  palace." 

This  consultation  had  been  hurriedly  carried  on 
in  an  undertone,  apparently  unnoticed  by  the  Mal 
tese,  who  handled  the  ropes  at  the  bow,  or  by  the 
Greek  who  held  the  tiller.  Obedient  to  a  further 
order  they  now  steered  towards  a  shoal  of  islands 
to  the  eastward,  and  presently  reached  the  tranquil 
sea  outside  the  Lido,  whither  a  number  of  sail 
boats  and  gondolas  were  similarly  going.  They 
continued  as  far  as  the  outer  limit  of  the  Porto  del 
Lido,  where  the  celebration  was  to  be  performed, 
when  the  Greek  interrupted  their  desultory  talk 
with  an  exclamation,  and,  pointing  back,  indicated 
a  large  vessel,  which,  propelled  both  by  oars  and 
sails,  was  already  half  way  from  shore,  with  a 
queue  of  small  boats  in  its  wake. 

"  That  is  not  the  Bucentoro,"  objected  Narvaez. 

"No,  master,"  replied  the  Greek;  "it  is  the 
galley  of  the  anti-doge,  rilled  with  buffoons  and 
jugglers  and  some  hundreds  of  merry  fellows,  and 
they  make  all  manner  of  sport  with  their  dancing 
and  antics  and  songs,  and  at  last  they  wed  the  sea 
with  a  barrel-hoop." 


THE  MARRIAGE   OF   THE  SEA.  Gl 

As  he  ceased  speaking,  they  heard  the  salutes 
fired  that  announced,  as  far  as  the  sound  could 
reach,  the  sailing  of  the  sacred  Bucentoro. 

The  anti-doge  drew  near  to  where  the  small 
boats  clustered  together,  and  the  exuberance  of 
the  light-hearted  populace  filled  the  air  with  jibes 
and  shouts.  But  ere  long  all  eyes  were  fixed  upon 
the  sailless  ship,  which,  rounding  the  point  with 
its  myriad  oars,  came  swiftly  towards  them,  till 
presently  they  could  distinguish  the  brilliant 
throng  that  covered  its  deck,  and,  as  the  multitude 
of  bouts  made  way,  a  loud  command  was  given  and 
the  oars  were  held  together  in  the  foaming  water. 
The  shouts  on  the  harlequin's  galley  ceased,  the 
talk  of  the  occupants  of  a  multitude  of  gondolas 
was  hushed,  and  the  few  that  had  remained  behind 
came  hurrying  after ;  and  in  the  crowding  that  fol 
lowed  the  pinnace  was  left  astern. 

There  was  an  interval  of  waiting  till  all  was 
quiet.  Then,  amid  the  impressive  silence  that 
reigned  over  the  assembled  thousands,  arid  with 
every  face  intent  upon  him,  the  Primate  of  Venice 
arose  and  stood  at  the  prow  between  the  banner  of 
St.  Mark  and  the  white,  standard  of  the  Sovereign 
Poiitiii',  and  prayed.  He  asked  that  the  ashes  of 
St.  Mark  might  be  more  and  more  honored,  that 
the  enemies  of  Venice  might  be  confounded,  that 
the  emblematic  nuptials  about  to  bo  performed 
might,  in  very  truth,  be  typical  of  substantial  and 


62  SFORZA. 

enduring  supremacy.  And  while  his  arms  were 
stretched  above  the  placid  Adriatic,  and  his  rich, 
vibrating  voice  was  lifted  to  heaven,  Narvaez, 
glancing  at  the  stern  of  the  Bucentoro,  whispered 
to  his  companion  : 

"  Through  one  of  those  open  windows  the  galley 
might  be  boarded ;  not  an  eye  but  is  fixed  upon 
her  prow." 

"My  life  would  pay  for  it,"  muttered  Hermes; 
"  it  were  suicide  to  risk  so  wild  a  cast." 

"  You  never  made  a  wiser  resolve,"  replied  the 
Spaniard,  as  with  a  relieved  expression  he  bade  the 
boatman  push  forward. 

The  prayer  had  ended,  and  in  place  of  the  robust 
person  of  the  primate  there  advanced  a  venerable 
man  with  snowy  beard  and  thin,  sunken  face  and 
high  brow,  and  on  his  head  the  ducal  beretta,  and 
about  him  an  embroidered  garment  that  fell  to  his 
feet.  And  standing  beneath  the  traditional  crim 
son  umbrella,  famous  as  the  gift  of  a  Pope,  he 
gazed  upon  the  thousands  of  upturned  faces,  upon 
the  brightly  painted  gondolas  with  draperies  and 
jewelled  slaves,  and  then,  beyond,  upon  his  shining 
and  beautiful  bride,  and  in  a  half  audible  voice  he 
invoked  the  blessing  of  Heaven  upon  Venice,  and 
with  a  gesture  of  loving  and  reverent  salutation 
pronounced  in  Latin  the  words  :  "  We  wed  thee,  O 
Sea,  in  token  of  true  and  everlasting  sovereignty," 
— and  threw  far  forward  the  sanctified  ring  which 


THE  MARRIAGE   OF    THE  SEA.  (53 

should  rivet  tlieso  strange  nuptials,  and  which  fell 
sparkling  with  a  slight  splash  into  the  water. 

And  now  arose  an  outcry  of  voices  that  drowned 
for  a  moment  the  burst  of  mnsic  which  smote  the 
air  with  martial  strains.  The  gondolas  opened  a 
way  for  the  Buceiitoro,  which  resumed  its  omvard 
course,  and,  describing  a  half  circle,  headed  in  the 
direction  of  the  church  of  San  Niccolb,  \vhere  the 
doge  was  to  hear  mass. 

As  they  returned  to  the  landing  whence  they  had 
put  forth,  "There  must  be,"  said  Hermes,  "some 
dainty  cookshop  hereabouts  where  we  can  rest  and 
sup  ;  I  am  athirst  and  hungry  and  jaded." 

"  Half  a  dozen  such  are  on  the  piazza." 

"  Then  dismiss  these  villainous  boatmen  and  let 
us  have  a  luxurious  repast.  With  a  fiasco  of  good 
wine,  I  shall  talk  to-night  as  impressively  as  the 
primate  himself.  For,  look  you,  Narvaez,  I  dare 
not  trust  myself  and  you  and  the  letters  all  at  once 
in  the  doge's  presence.  We  might  be  intercepted, 
and  then  all  were  lost.  And  so  I  shall  leave  the 
letters  with  you  ;  here, button  them  securely  within 
your  doublet,  and  you  shall  wrait  without  while 
I  gain  a  hearing,  and  if  all  is  wrell  they  shall  be 
delivered  :  otherwise,  if  aught  befall  me,  you  shall 
use  them  to-morrow  to  effect  my  release." 

Arrived  at  the  red  pillars,  Hermes  observed  a 
trattoria  whose  appearance  satisfied  him.  As  the} 
neared  it,  Narvaex  said: 


64  SFORZA. 

"  Since  you  have  so  strong  an  aversion  for  the 
hotel  to  which  I  conducted  you,  I  Lave  thought  of 
another  this  side  the  Grand  Canal,  where  we  shall 
fare  better  with  nearly  equal  concealment,  and  to 
which,  while  you  order,  I  will  have  the  saddle 
bags  removed." 

"  Can  you  be  back  within  half  an  hour  ?  " 
"  Yes,  for  it  is  but  a  step  from  here." 
Half  an  hour  had  elapsed,  and  the  stars  were  be 
ginning  to  twinkle,  when  Narvaez  returned  to  the 
piazza,  where  he  found  the  crowd  as  animated  as  in 
the  morning,  and  more  noisy.  Before  the  eating- 
shop  at  which  he  had  left  Hermes  were  ranged 
tables  al  fresco,  but  the  Spaniard  searched  for  him 
in  vain.  He  glanced  over  the  fantastic  scene, — 
the  facade  of  St.  Mark's,  lighted  with  fairy  tracery 
by  the  lanterns  before  it ;  the  hundreds  of  lights 
which  flared  and  flickered  in  the  wind  above  the 
tables  of  the  venders ;  the  odd  costumes  from  far 
countries ;  the  chattering  puppet-shows  in  which 
Italians  delight.  Then  he  grew  troubled  at  the 
thought  that  something  amiss  must  have  befallen, 
— and  now  his  quick  ear  was  fixed  upon  the  talk 
of  a  group,  whose  words  explained  this  disappear 
ance. 

"  I  stand  to  it,"  said  one,  "  the  fellows  are  mad 
men  :  who  else  would  think  to  board  the  Bucen- 
toro?  "Who  else  would  trust  themselves  and  their 
plot  to  a  couple  of  gondoliers  ?  " 


THE    MARK  I  AGE   OF    THE  SEA.  05 

"No,"  objected  a  second,  "it  is  clear  enough  ; 
tlio  Greek  knew  them  by  their  speech  to  be  Milan 
ese  ;  it  is  a  resort  of  Duke  Si'orza  to  suspend  the 
war  by  assassinating  the  doge." 

"  What  a  pity  only  one  of  them  was  taken  !  "  re 
marked  a  third,  "but  his  inato  Avill  be  found  before 
morning." 

"He  was  a  cool  rascal,"  laughed  the  one  who 
had  first  spoken,  "  to  regale  himself  on  the  public 
piazza  between  his  attempts  on  Barbarigo.  How 
queerly  he  looked  when  his  boatmen  came  with  the 
signori  di  notte  !  " 

At  these  words  Narvaez  turned  away  instinc- 
tiyely,  and,  skirting  the  piazza,  buried  himself  in 
the  first  alley.  Arrived  at  the  deep  arch  of  a  closed 
door,  he  halted. 

"  A  sleeyeless  errand,  this  !  "  he  muttered  with 
an  imprecation  :  "  my  only  hope  is  to  reach  the 
doge.  I  know  where,  he  lives — I  will  go  afoot — no 
more  boatmen  for  me." 

It  was  no  great  distance  to  the  Palazzo  Bar 
barigo.  Xarvaez  threaded  his  way  through  narrow 
and  tortuous  streets,  often  crossing  the  bridges 
which  enable  those  familiar  with  the  city  to  reach 
any  quarter.  More  than  once  lie  paused  to  read 
the  name  beneath  the  lanterns  placed  at  great 
intervals.  Arrived  at  his  destination,  a  summons 
with  the  knocker  brought  a  black  slave  to  the  peep 
hole,  through  which  he  reconnoitred  the  stranger, 


66  SFORZA. 

while  demanding  his  business  in  the  coarse  Italian 
peculiar  to  the  Moors.  Ludovico's  letter  to  the 
doge's  brother  was  delivered,  and  presently  the 
younger  Barbarigo  appeared.  He  evidently  re 
garded  Narvaez  with  misgiving  ;  but  the  nature  of 
his  introduction  from  a  prince  and  a  friend,  albeit 
an  enemy,  secured  him  an  audience,  after  conform 
ing  to  the  usual  etiquette  of  laying  aside  his  sti 
letto. 

Seated  in  a  luxurious  arm-chair  at  the  extremity 
of  a  large  room  sat  Barbarigo,  habited  in  skull 
cap,  cashmere  vest,  and  easy  gown.  Behind  him 
had  been  stationed  two  Slavonian  guards,  each 
leaning  upon  a  weapon  of  formidable  aspect.  The 
younger  Barbarigo,  who  was  his  brother's  secre 
tary,  followed  Narvaez,  and  placed  himself  beside 
the  old  man's  chair. 

"  They  take  me  for  a  spadaccino  !  "  was  the  fen 
cer's  thought  as  he  bowed  reverently  and  remained 
standing  and  silent. 

The  doge  turned  to  his  brother  and  said  queru 
lously,  "Ask  what  brings  him  here  to  vex  us,  and 
by  what  chance  he  is  possessed  of  a  letter  from 
II  Moro  ?  " 

"  You  hear  the  question,"  said  the  secretary, 
speaking  with  the  decided  utterance  of  one  accus 
tomed  to  authority.  "  Answer,  and  raise  your  voice 
— the  doge's  hearing  is  imperfect." 

Thus  summoned,  the  Spaniard,  with  some  trepi- 


THE    MARRIAGE   OF    THE  HE  A.  07 

elation,  made  reply.  "  Your  serenity,"  he  began, 
"  I  came  from  Milan  as  the  companion  of  Hermes 
Sforza,  nephew  to  the  duke,  who  was  entrusted 
with  a  weighty  and  confidential  mission,  and  who 
would  be  here  with  me  to  declare  his  business  in 
proper  terms  were  it  not  that  a  strange  mishap 
has  befallen  him." 

"  Tell  him  to  speak  louder,"  interrupted  Barba- 
rigo,  leaning  forward,  "and  to  come  briefly  to  his 
wish." 

"That,  my  masters,"  resumed  Narvaez,  "could 
only  be  set  forth  by  Sforza,  and  my  present  pur 
pose  is  simply  to  entreat  that  he  may  be  restored 
to  liberty  and  permitted  to  speak  his  message." 

"  Where,  then,  is  your  companion '?  "  inquired 
the  secretary,  perceiving  that  Barbarigo  was  at  a 
loss  to  make  much  of  this  confused  declaration. 

"  Alas !  "  exclaimed  Narvaez,  divining  the  awk- 
ward  impression  he  was  making,  "it  is  beyond  my 
power  to  tell  more  than  that  I  believe  him  to  have 
been  seized,  an  hour  ago,  by  the  signori  di  notte." 

"  The  signori  di  notte  do  not  arrest  for  nothing  ; 
ho  must  have  made  some  disturbance — a  street 
brawl,  eh  ?  " 

"  I  left  him  on  the  piazza,  and,  when  I  came 
again,  he  was  gone  ;  but  the  talk  of  some  people 
near  by  revealed  that  in  my  absence  we  had  been 
denounced  by  a  pair  of  boatmen  we  employed  to 
day,  and  that  lie  had  been  carried  off." 


68  SFORZA. 

"  Denounced  !  "  ejaculated  Barbarigo,  who  caught 
a  fragment  here  and  there.  "  For  what  were  you 
denounced  ?  " 

"Upon  some  mistake  of  the  boatmen,  who  at 
tributed  to  us  a  sinister  motive  of  which  we  are 
innocent,  and  which  it  is  therefore  difficult  to 
define." 

"This  is  a  strangely  halting  story,"  remarked 
the  secretary,  "  and  you  are  keeping  back  that 
which  is  essential  to  make  it  intelligible.  Answer 
my  questions,  and  withhold  aught  at  your  peril. 
When  did  you  arrive  in  Venice  ?  " 

"This  morning." 

"  If  you  came  from  Milan,  how  did  you  pass  the 
lines  of  the  Venetian  army  ?  " 

"  As  honest  citizens  travelling  upon  business,  and 
furnished  with  the  usual  safe-conduct." 

"A  safe-conduct  in  time  of  war?  That  equals 
the  wild  statement,  with  which  you  began,  about  a 
message  from  the  Duke  of  Milan." 

"  Yes,  given  to  his  nephew,  who  brought  me  with 
him." 

"What  is  your  profession?" 

At  this  question  Narvaez  recovered  the  self- 
possession  which  was  fast  deserting  him,  and,  smil 
ing  complacently,  replied,  "  Master  of  the  rapier, 
and  instructor  in  the  use  of  the  main  gauche,  the 
stiletto,  the— 

"  Per  1'Ostia !    a  spadaccino.     And  what  is  this 


THE  MARRIAGE   OF   THE  SEA.  09 

mysterious  accusation  upon  which  your  comrade 
was  arrested?  " 

"Signore,"  answered  the  fencer,  wincing  at  the 
return  to  this  delicate  point,  "  it  is  impossible  to 
explain  what  I  know  not ;  but,  I  beseech  you, 
bring  him  hither  and  let  him  answer  for  him 
self." 

"I  have  a  greater  mind  to  send  you  to  join  him 
at  the  pozzi !  "  broke  in  the  doge,  who  had  fol 
lowed  this  interrogatory. 

"  We  both  came  in  all  honor,  as  under  a  flag  of 
truce." 

The  younger  Barbarigo  motioned  his  brother  to 
restrain  his  impatience  ;  then  his  face  darkened 
ominously.  "You  talk  lightly  of  this  harlequin 
ade,"  he  began,  in  a  voice  of  menacing  harshness, 
"  as  a  secret  embassy  from  Si'orza  with  whom  we 
are  at  war  ;  know  you  not  that  if  this  purpose  is 
declared  to-morrow,  such  a  messenger  would  be 
accounted  a  spy  ?  " 

"  Eccellenza,  you  need  but  say  a  word  to  spare 
him  from  examination." 

"What!  Shield  a  man  whoso  act  is  treason  to 
Venice '?  You  shall  be  taught  to  understand  us 
better.  Mark  me  !  You  came  possessed  of  a  letter 
which  entitled  you  to  a  hearing,  in  the  course  of 
which  you  acknowledge  yourself  to  be  a  profes 
sional  bravo,  and  the  escort  of  one  we  must  not 
receive  or  listen  to  if  you  have  interpreted  his 


70  SFORZA. 

mission  aright.  Upon  an  accusation  which  is  not 
explained,  and  which  does  not  weigh  in  your  favor, 
he  is  seized  by  the  guard.  If  to-morrow  he  but 
breathe  the  purpose  you  attribute  to  him,  he  will 
be  arraigned  before  the  council  as  a  spy  ;  and 
that  you  should  seek  to  move  the  doge  to  connive 
at  this  criminal  mission  is  your  last  and  greatest 
offence.  I  shall  now  have  you  taken  to  the  sig- 
nori  di  notte,  and,  whatever  befalls,  we,  at  least, 
will  stand  blameless." 

The  stout  hearted  Narvaez  felt  his  courage  sink 
at  this  startling  metamorphosis  of  their  position, 
and,  as  the  last  words  were  uttered,  he  threw  him 
self  at  the  feet  of  the  secretary,  and  extended  the 
second  letter,  which  Hermes  should  have  delivered 
in  person  to  the  doge. 

"Another  missive!"  cried  the  younger  Barba- 
rigo  angrily. 

"  It  explains  all.  In  the  name  of  the  innocent, 
read  it ;  but  as  you  dread  the  powers  to  which  you 
would  commit  us,  read  it  alone." 

"  We  are  alone,"  replied  the  secretary  curtly  : 
"  these  Slavs  comprehend  nothing."  Then,  tak 
ing  the  letter,  he  drew  a  chair  to  the  side  of  his 
brother,  who  bent  forward  with  an  old  man's 
eagerness  as  the  parchment  was  opened. 

Their  eyes  rested  upon  it  together,  and  at  the 
first  glance  the  doge's  face  contracted  with  a  sud 
den  spasm,  and  he  raised  a  startled  and  affrighted 


THE  3IARRIAUK   OF   THE  SEA.  71 

gaze  upon  the  Spaniard  ;  his  brother  road  down 
the  paper,  then  crumpled  it  violent!}7  in  his  hands, 
and,  rising  with  a  ghastly  face  from  the  seat  he 
had  just  taken,  cast  a  furtive  look  about  the  room 
to  assure  himself  that  no  other  eye  had  beheld  the 
writing. 

Narvaez  observed  with  stupor  the  effect  of  this 
second  letter,  but  the  secretary  left  him  little  time 
for  wonder. 

"  Do  you  know  what  is  here  written  ?  "  he  asked, 
in  a  subdued  and  altered  voice. 

"  Xo,"  answered  the  Spaniard,  with  a  bluntiiess 
that  carried  conviction. 

"AndSfor/a ?" 

"  Told  me  he  received  it  sealed  from  the  hand  of 
his  uncle." 

The  secretary  breathed  a  sigh  of  relief,  smiled 
reassuringly  at  his  brotlier,  and  held  the  letter  in 
the  name  of  a  lamp  till  its  last  vestige  curled  in 
cinders  ;  these  he  bore  to  the  nearest  window  and 
dropped  into  the  canal. 

He  returned  to  the  side  of  the  doge,  and  they 
conversed  in  an  idiom  of  Greek  used  among  Vene 
tian  merchants.  Presently  the  younger  Barbarigo 
addressed  Xarvaez  with  a  kindliness  that  brought 
the  fencer  a  fresh  surprise. 

"  So  particular  a  letter  from  our  brother  of 
Milan,"  he  said,  "  commands  us  ;  to-morrow  morn 
ing  young  Sforza  shall  be  freed  and  shall  tell  his 


72  SFORZA. 

message.  Fear  nothing  ;  but,  that  you  may  meet 
with  no  further  mishap,  you  shall  pass  this  night 
in  an  antechamber,  to  which  you  will  now  be  con 
ducted.  And  take  this  caution  :  should  you  have 
so  foolish  a  thought  as  to  wish  to  leave  our  roof  by 
stealth,  act  not  upon  it  as  you  value  life." 


CHAPTER  V. 

THE    STAli    CHAMBER. 

Ox  the  following  morning  Narvaez  was  awak 
ened  from  an  uneasy  slumber  by  the  ringing  of 
the  Angelus,  which  all  the  bells  in  Venice  took  up, 
each  with  its  own  peculiar  voice,  from  the  deep, 
loud  stroke  of  the  clock  tower,  and  the  musical 
clangor  of  church  campanili,  to  the  tuneful  and 
tinkling  cadence  of  cloister  chimes.  In  the  fancy 
of  the  sleeping  youth  their  distant  and  softened 
pealing  recalled  the  familiar  cow-bells  of  his  native 
sierras,  and  in  his  last  moment  of  dreamy  uncon 
sciousness  he  beheld  again  the  long  lines  of  cattle 
trooping  at  dawn  through  the  forest  calm,  and 
winding  away  to  upland  pastures  amid  the  ame 
thyst  peaks. 

He  rose  from  an  improvised  couch  with  spirits 
depressed,  and  with  a  premonition  that  his  misad 
venture  was  far  from  ended.  He  was  presently 
visited  by  the  chaplain  of  the  house,  who,  after 
suavely  reminding  him  that  a  meditation  upon 
the  beatitudes  was  the  proper  employment  of  the 
moments  following  his  awakening,  added  that 
the  doge  was  about  to  leave  for  the  official 


74  SFORZA. 

palace,  whither  an  escort  should  presently  con 
duct  him. 

Half  an  hour  later  lie  was  led  to  a  gondola, 
which  was  swiftly  directed  down  the  Grand  Canal, 
amid  the  animation  and  magnificence  of  the  grace 
ful  palaces  which  stood  in  a  continuous  line  of 
elaborately  chiselled  colonnades  and  balconies  and 
pilasters  and  heavily -barred  windows,  and  here 
and  there,  high  on  the  wall,  a  diminutive  Madonna. 
Tied  to  rusty  piers  lay  pleasure-boats  of  gaudy 
coloring,  and  through  open  doorways  could  be  seen 
a  cortile  with  plants  and  vines  of  luminous  green, 
or  a  cool,  dim  hallway  with  great  white  stairs,  and 
statues,  and  arched  mosaic  roof.  But  Narvaez,  in 
his  dejection,  scarce  cast  a  glance  upon  them  all, 
and  it  was  with  a  feeling  of  impatient  relief  that  he 
came  within  hearing  of  the  bustle  of  the  piazzetta, 
and  landed  on  the  steps  of  the  private  entrance  to 
the  doge's  palace. 

At  the  close  of  the  fifteenth  century  the  republic 
of  Venice  had  attained  its  greatest  development  of 
genius  and  strength.  In  the  religious  fervor  which, 
of  old,  tempered  and  enhanced  so  many  virtues,  its 
people  kept  the  pristine  faith  ;  in  the  previous  cen 
tury  it  had  dealt  Genoa,  its  potent  rival,  a  blow 
from  which  that  commonwealth  never  recovered ; 
the  forces  by  land  and  sea  were  still  of  the  heroic 
fibre  of  past  generations,  whose  ultimate  and  final 
prowess,  seventy  years  later,  was  to  smite  the  Turk- 


77777   STAR    CHAMBER.  75 

ish  armada  at  Lepanto ;  its  commerce  had  not  yet 
suffered  by  the  Portuguese  discovery  of  the  Cape 
route  to  the  Indies;  its  government  was  the  most 
concentrated,  the  best  informed,  and  the  most  cruel 
of  the  middle  ages. 

The  administration  of  this  redoubtable  state  was 
absorbed  by  a  Senate  representing  the  families 
inscribed  upon  the  Libro  d'Oro  ;  since  the  failure 
of  Faliero's  plot  to  recover  by  bloodshed  the  pre 
rogatives  withdrawn  piecemeal  from  the  doge,  the 
power  of  the  nominal  chief  of  the  state  had  been 
further  reduced,  till  now  little  remained  but  the 
exercise  of  high  ceremonies,  and  the  chair  of  honor 
in  the  great  Council.  But  the  Senate,  in  its  turn, 
had  suffered  an  equal  encroachment  from  the  Exec 
utive  Council  of  Ten,  and  from  the  famous  Council 
of  Three,  which  held  absolute  power  over  life  and 
property.  It  was  before  the  second  of  these  that 
Hermes  was  now  to  appear. 

The  fencing-master  was  led  from  the  private 
landing  through  the  central  court,  with  its  flights 
of  sculptured  stairs,  and  the  domes  and  pinnacles 
of  St.  Mark's,  and  a  profusion  of  palm  trees  and 
odorous  shrubs,  in  imitation  of  the  shaded  and 
fragrant  courts  of  Stamboul,  and  thence  to  a  se 
cluded  room  where  sat  Barbarigo  and  his  brother. 
At  sight  of  them  the  Spaniard  rejoiced  to  know 
that  they  shared  his  predicament  and  would  be 
tdad  as  himself  to  shorten  it.  Motioning  him  to 


76  SFORZA. 

approach,  and  bidding  his  escort  retire,  Barbarigo 
addressed  him  in  the  suppressed  tone  to  which  a 
deaf  man  moderates  his  voice. 

"Your  companion,"  he  began,  "  will  presently 
be  brought  before  me  ;  a  charge  of  conspiracy  has 
been  preferred  against  him.  Tell  me,  had  he 
other  documents  beside  the  two  you  brought  ?  " 

"  Yes,"  answered  Narvaez,  hoping  that  the  worse 
the  case  appeared  the  sooner  it  would  be  the 
doge's  desire  to  end  it ;  "  only  yesterday  morning 
I  saw  him  draw  a  roll  of  papers  from  his  wallet/' 

"  Have  you  knowledge  of  their  import  ?  "  mut 
tered  Barbarigo,  glancing  nervously  at  his  brother. 

"  There  was  a  safe-conduct  to  pass  the  Venetian 
lines,  some  bills  of  exchange,  and  a  map  with  notes 
of  the  way." 

"  By  whom  was  the  safe-conduct  signed  ?  " 

"  It  looked  regular  enough,  but  the  signature  was 
fictitious." 

"  And  the  bills  of  exchange  ?  " 

"  To  say  truth,  they  were  imaginary  also,  being 
merely  part  of  our  equipment,  so  to  speak,  and 
intended,  if  we  fell  in  with  the  Venetian  troops,  to 
bear  us  out  in  our  character  of  clerks  commis 
sioned  with  some  banker's  business." 

"  And  when  this  nephew  of  Sforza  is  examined, 
what  story  will  he  tell  ?  " 

"  That  we  are  entrusted  with  the  sale  of  the  ex 
changes  he  bears." 


THE  STAR   CHAMBER.  77 

"  Entrusted  with  the  sale  of  forged  bills,  and 
travelling  under  a  false  safe-conduct !  Those 
damning  papers  found  upon  him,  and  so  lame  a 
story  on  his  tongue,  he  will  be  put  to  the  ques 
tion,  and  then — 

A  light  tap  was  heard  at  the  door,  and  a  confi 
dential  secretary  entered  and  gravely  said  :  "  The 
young  man  is  without,  and  the  iutendant  of  the 
prison  craves,  in  addition  to  your  order,  a  line 
declaring  that  the  prisoner  has  been  delivered  to 
you." 

"  Said  I  not  there  must  be  no  writing  in  this 
matter?"  harshly  answered  Barbarigo;  "  that  even 
my  order  for  his  release  must  be  returned !  " 

"  J3ut  the  jailer  dare  not ;  remember  he  is  ac 
countable,  and  an  accusation  stands  against  the 
prisoner  which — 

"  Hush  thy  heedless  tongue  !  "  interrupted  the 
doge's  brother,  with  a  meaning  gesture  towards 
the  listening  Narvaez.  "  (live  him  what  he  will, 
Barbarigo,  we  have  no  room  now  to  hesitate." 

The  doge  sullenly  wrote  the  required  receipt, 
and  immediately  Hermes  entered  the  room,  and 
the  door  behind  him  closed.  Whatever  satisfac 
tion  he  may  have  felt  at  sight  of  his  companion,  or 
whatever  greetings  may  have  been  upon  his  lips, 
all  vanished  before  the  words  now  addressed  him. 

"  Young  man,"  quoth  the  doge,  with  voice  sub 
dued  by  emotion,  and  with  every  perception  intent, 


78  SFORZA. 

"  you  stand  before  me  in  grievous  peril.  I  am 
heartily  sorry  for  it,  since  imprudence  is  less  to  be 
blamed  upon  you  than  upon  my  brother  of  Milan. 
I  would  gladly  set  you  free,  but  it  is  too  late, — you 
will  presently  be  required  from  me  by  an  authority 
superior  to  mine.  Profit  by  this  moment,  then,  to 
tell  me  the  words  you  bear  from  Sforza." 

"Your  Highness  well  knows,"  began  Hermes, 
with  earnestness,  "  the  straits  in  which  we  of 
Milan  stand  through  the  double  invasion  we  have 
to  confront.  To  so  painful  a  pass  are  we  brought, 
that  deatli  were  no  worse  than  the  shame  which 
must  presently  overwhelm  us.  Our  army  can  face 
the  French,  for,  however  outnumbered,  we  have 
stout  hearts  and  strong  walls,  and  time  saves  many 
a  beleaguered  army.  But  therein  lies  the  limit  of 
our  resistance.  If  the  soldiers  of  Venice  unite 
with  those  of  France,  we  shall  utterly  perish. 
Therefore,  in  the  name  of  Sforza,  I  beseech  you 
refrain  from  doing  us  so  grievous  a  hurt.  Suffer 
a  generous  compassion  at  the  calamities  that  beset 
one  whom  a  year  ago  you  called  friend  to  move 
you,  and  give  us  that  respite  which  a  brave  man 
accords  to  the  antagonist  he  sees  overborne  ;  halt 
your  troops,  delay  their  march  for  two  months, 
set  them  to  plundering  our  cities  if  you  will ;  but, 
as  you  honor  the  reputation  of  Italian  arms,  grant 
that  wThen  we  face  the  French  it  be  not  as  men 
who  fight  without  hope." 


THE   STAR    CHAMBER.  79 

Those  wore  straightforward  words,  and  they 
piercod  to  the  sensibility  of  both  the  brothers. 

"Woo  is  me,"  answered  the  doge,  with  veritable 
concern,  "  that  I  cannot  do  what  you  ask  and  what 
my  desire  would  accord.  But  you  know  not  Ven 
ice  ;  the  trouble  of  her  neighbors  has  always  been 
her  opportunity — and  is  so  now.  The  army  has 
crossed  your  frontier  ;  the  pro vvedi tori  watch  the 
generals  with  jealous  vigilance  ;  what,  then,  can  I, 
old,  inlirm.  unable  to  leave  this  city,  do  to  prevent 
their  advance  ?  " 

"My  uncle  said,  '  that,  ichick  the  righteous  man 
steadfastly  wills,  the,  devil  si  mil  not  prevent  ; '  more 
over,  ho  wrote  a  certain  letter — Xarvaez,  I  gave  it 

}T(  -i-l-t    
ou 

"•  Ay,  truly,"  interposed  the  doge  ;  "it  was  faith 
fully  delivered  me  last  night."  Then,  alter  labor 
ing  with  a  spasm  that  took  him  as  often  as  that 
cipher  letter  was  mentioned,  he  went  on  to  say  : 
"  You  may  tell  the  Duke  of  Milan  that,  as  I  am  a 
Christian,  I  will  seek  to  halt  the  troops,  even  to 
the  limit  of  risking  my  life  in  the  attempt.  Tell 
me  further,"  he  added,  "  of  your  other  papers- 
were  they  taken  from  you  ?  " 

"Yes,  everything  upon  me,  permit,  bills  of  ex 
change,  purse,  jewels,  everything,  for  they  searched 
me  from  head  to  foot." 

''  And  were  you  identified  ?  " 

"Yes,  by  two  rogues  of  boatmen." 


80  SFORZA. 

"No  matter,  all  can  be  remedied,  and  all  shall 
yet  be  well,  provided  you  leave  everything  im 
plicitly  to  my  judgment." 

Hermes  was  about  to  assent  to  this  reassur 
ing  declaration,  when  an  imperative  summons  was 
heard.  Barbarigo's  eyes  fell  at  the  sound,  and  his 
fingers  trembled  as  they  toyed  with  a  long  quill 
pen.  Then,  with  abrupt  resolution,  he  spoke  as 
one  who  nerves  himself  for  an  excruciating  ordeal. 

"  Hermes  Sforza,"  he  said,  "  this  is  a  message 
from  the  Council ;  we  must  not  be  found  so  many. 
Withdraw  with  my  brother  into  the  adjoining 
room,  and  confer  with  him  upon  the  best  means  of 
departure.  And  you,  good  youth,"  he  pursued, 
addressing  Narvaez,  "  wait  here  ;  I  have  some 
special  direction  to  give  you  as  to  the  part  that 
you  shall  play,— draw  near  to  me,  so  ;  when  the 
door  opens  you  must  be  found  standing  thus,  re 
ceiving  my  command." 

Hermes  looked  askance  at  this  separation,  but 
the  knocking  was  loudly  renewed,  and  Barbarigo's 
brother  caught  him  by  the  arm,  and  whispering, 
"  For  all  our  sakes,  come  !  "  drew  him  away,  and, 
having  bolted  the  door,  leaned  his  back  against 
it. 

And  now  the  doge,  being  left  alone  with  Narvaez, 
bade  whoso  knocked  enter,  and  instantly  there 
appeared  a  messenger,  who  saluted  Barbarigo  with 
reverence,  though,  with  malicious  intention,  leav- 


THE  STAR   CHAMBER.  81 

ing  ajar  the  door,  so  that  an  officer  and  six  halber 
diers  could  be  seen  standing  in  the  hall. 

"  What  business  brings  you  thus  impetuously  ?  " 
asked  the  doge,  with  an  abruptness  of  tone  and  an 
aversion  of  manner  he  did  not  attempt  to  conceal. 

"  I  am  ordered  by  the  clerk  of  the  Council  to  ask 
the  reason  for  which  you,  this  morning,  ordered 
the  release  of  a  prisoner  named  Hermes  Sforza, 
accused  of  high  treason,  and  to  require  his  instant 
attendance." 

"  My  proceeding  will  not  fail  to  commend  itself. 
That  an  unknown  youth,  and  a  stranger,  should 
harbor  designs  against  my  life,  seemed  so  incom 
prehensible  that,  for  my  own  honest  information,  I 
wished  to  question  him  in  gentleness  before  he 
should  pass  to  the  sterner  ordeal  of  the  Inquisi 
tors." 

"It  shall  be  so  answered  :  now  bid  him  follow 
me." 

"  One  moment  is  needed  to  finish  the  inquiry 
you  broke  in  upon,  and  by  my  faith  it  shall  last 
no  longer.  What,  man  !  think  you  I  would  release 
him,  or  fear  you  he  can  escape  ?  " 

The  messenger  yielded  with  ill  grace,  muttering 
as  he  withdrew. 

When  the   doge    turned  from  this  colloquy,   he 

perceived  by  the  change  in  the  bright  young  face 

that  the  sacrifice  about  to  be  required  had  been 

guessed.      Barbarigo   rose    from   his    seat,   caught 

(j 


82  SFORZA. 

Narvaez  by  the  hand,  and  whispered  :  "  You  must 
go  ;  you  must  take  the  place  of  Hermes  Sforza. 
It  seems  to  you  a  fearful  thing,  but  so  it  must 
be.  Bear  a  bold  heart ;  fear  uot  but  I  will  work 
to  save  you  as  though  you  were  my  own  flesh 
and  blood." 

"  Why  must  I  take  Hermes'  place  ?  "  asked  Nar 
vaez,  whose  lips  quivered  as  he  spoke. 

"  Because  there  is  a  terrible  risk  about  that 
which  otherwise  awaits  him — perhaps  the  question, 
possibly  worse — see,  I  conceal  nothing  from  you." 

"  But,  again  I  ask,  why  put  me  in  his  place  ?  " 

"Because  the  devil's  letter  you  thrust  in  my 
hand  last  night  binds  me  to  the  Duke  of  Milan  by 
an  obligation  I  shudder  to  recall.  It  were  an  ill 
beginning,  since  I  am  to  serve  him,  to  let  his 
nephew  be  done  to  death.  You  alone  now  can 
take  the  risk ;  you  can  pass  for  Sforza,  for  you  will 
appear  only  before  the  Council  and  their  attend 
ants,  not  one  of  whom  has  seen  him.  Make  the 
best  defence  you  can,  and  trust  to  me  to  secure 
your  escape  to-night." 

"  And  Hermes  ?  " 

"  Shall  be  out  of  Venice  before  the  sun  touches 
the  horizon." 

The  young  swordsman  listened  with  a  flush  of 
color  that  died  suddenly  away ;  then,  with  an  ac 
cent  of  determination  beyond  his  years,  he  reso 
lutely  answered :  "  Be  it  as  you  will,  and  if  I 


THE  STAR   CHAMBER.  83 

perish — let  it  be  said  to  Hermes  that  I  met  this 
danger  willingly  to  save  him." 

Meanwhile  Hermes  eagerly  availed  himself  of 
his  opportunity  to  question  the  doge's  brother 
upon  the  events  of  the  previous  night,  and  that 
personage  was  soon  volubly  discoursing  and  ges 
ticulating.  The  minutes  passed ;  the  hall  door  of 
the  doge's  room  was  repeatedly  opened  and  closed  ; 
at  length  all  was  quiet.  Their  desultory  talk  drew 
to  an  end  ;  the  secretary,  still  leaning  against  the 
door  of  communication,  became  silent. 

"Narvaez  is  again  alone  with  the  doge,"  ob 
served  Hermes,  after  a  listening  pause  ;  "  let  us  to 
him, —our  task  is  accomplished;  we  would  haste 
from  Venice." 

The  Venetian  yielded  to  this  importunity  ;  he 
unbolted  the  door,  and  allowed  Hermes  to  reenter 
the  study,  whore,  to  his  astonishment,  he  perceived 
Barbarigo  alone. 

He  glanced  about  the  room  abruptly;  then,  with 
an  angry  face,  he  stammered :  "  The  youth  whom 
we  left  here  with  you— what  has  become  of  him?  " 

Barbarigo  looked  up  with  a  troubled  air,  and 
hesitatingly  answered  :  "  The  youth  is  gone — fear 
not — he  shall  return  unharmed  ;  it  was  the  only 
recourse  to  spare  you  an  examination." 

"  What !  he  has  been  taken  before  the  Council !  " 

"  The  jailers  came  for  their  prisoner,  and  at  my 
suggestion  he  consented  to  take  your  place." 


84  SFORZA. 

At  tliis  hearing  Hermes  dashed  his  cap  upon  the 
ground  with  an  oath,  his  face  became  purple  with 
rage,  and,  turning  upon  the  secretary,  he  made  as 
though  he  would  have  taken  that  worthy  by  the 
throat. 

"  Would  to  Heaven  you  had  asked  me !  "  he 
ejaculated  ;  "  how  quickly  should  I  have  refused 
it !  But  at  least,"  he  continued,  smiting  his  hands 
passionately  together,  "  give  me  some  promise  of 
his  safety ;  tell  me  what  this  examination  is  to  be, 
and  when  he  will  be  released?  " 

Barbarigo  wiped  his  face  with  a  silk  handker 
chief  ;  the  midsummer  sun  was  gaining  power,  and 
his  emotions  rendered  him  an  uncomfortable  prince. 
He  murmured  slowly,  softly,  though  audibly  to 
those  about  him,  these  singular  words  :  "  May  my 
merciful  Father  above  account  this  part  of  the 
expiation  of  the  folly  of  my  presumptuous  youth." 
Then,  raising  his  voice,  he  replied  :  "  Your  com 
panion  stands  in  no  greater  risk  than  I  do  in  this 
solemn  hour.  It  was  my  first  duty  to  the  Duke  of 
Milan  to  rescue  his  nephew  ;  it  remained  unavoid 
able  that  some  one  must  take  his  place  before  the 
Council." 

"  But,  in  the  fiend's  name,  why  not  blurt  the 
truth  and  tell  how  trivial  was  our  errand  ?  " 

"Trivial!  Your  purpose  was  a  crime  which 
Venice  punishes  with  death." 

"  And  if  your  Council  find  Narvaez  guilty  ?  " 


THE  STAR   CHAMBER.  85 

"Then  a  means  shall  be  found  to  save  him." 

"If  his  life  be  forfeit  through  fault  of  jours,'' 
answered  Hermes,  "  I  will  make  public  every 
thing  that  I  have  seen  and  heard  in  Venice,  and 
hereafter,  at  the  judgment  day,  I  will  cry  ven 
geance  upon  you  !  " 

"Peace,  poor  fool,"  answered  Barbarigo,  "think 
you  I  could  not  in  the  next  hour  have  your  life 
taken,  and  leave  your  swordsman  to  his  fate !  " 

"  Say  no  more,"  whispered  Barbarigo' s  brother 
to  Hermes  ;  "you  may  put  faith  in  the  doge,  for 
he  shares  your  peril  in  what  has  become  a  state 
secret ;  let  us  be  silent  now,  and  devote  ourselves 
to  your  companion's  rescue  ;  and  for  you,  mean 
while,  a  place  of  safety  under  this  very  roof  has 
been  contrived,  where  you  shall  receive  frequent 
information  and  be  in  readiness  for  flight  to-mor 
row.  Follow  me,  then,  by  this  private  door ;  let 
us  lose  no  time  ;  come,  let  us  go." 

It  was  an  ordinary  circumstance  for  the  members 
of  the  Council  of  Three  to  be  summoned  from  rest, 
or  pleasure,  or  private  affairs,  to  sit,  either  as  the 
Supreme  Executive  of  the  State,  or  as  a  court  hav 
ing  the  functions  of  judge,  jury,  and  prosecutor. 
The  news  of  a  conspiracy  had  been  conveyed  to 
each  during  the  night,  and,  upon  first  assembling, 
they  had  passed  an  hour  in  hearing  read  the  record 
of  the  prisoner's  examination  upon  his  arrest,  and 


86  SFORZA. 

in  listening  to  the  testimony  of  the  boatmen.  They 
had  now  finished  with  the  report  of  the  signori  di 
notte ;  and  the  boatmen,  having  told  their  story, 
had  been  discharged  :  it  was  not  the  practice  of 
the  time,  nor  of  that  court,  to  put  the  prisoner  in 
presence  of  his  accusers,  or  of  witnesses. 

The  three  councillors  sat  at  a  table  whereon 
stood  an  ivory  crucifix.  Writing  at  a  high  desk 
was  their  clerk,  and  leaning  indifferently  near  a 
rack,  whose  fearful  shape  occupied  one  side  of  the 
room,  was  an  African  slave  ;  in  his  hand  he  held 
a  metal  ball,  with  wThose  peculiar  construction  he 
toyed  with  the  interest  of  one  who  examines  a 
novel  and  ingenious  mechanism ;  it  was,  in  fact,  a 
gag  of  improved  workmanship,  which,  being  thrust 
into  the  mouth  of  the  person  about  to  undergo  the 
question,  was,  by  the  turn  of  a  key,  made  to  unfold 
to  triple  its  size,  thereby  holding  the  sufferer's 
jaws  distended  and  preventing  an  outcry.  Before 
a  wrindow  was  a  large  arm-chair,  above  which,  at  a 
proper  elevation,  was  firmly  braced  the  celebrated 
helmet,  which  was  the  invention  of  Venice  for 
summary  execution.  In  it  the  head  of  the  con 
demned  was  encased,  and,  at  a  signal,  a  turn  of  a 
wrench  drove  a  long,  sharp  bolt  deep  into  the  base 
of  the  brain,  severing  the  spinal  column,  and  caus 
ing  instantaneous  death. 

The  three  councillors,  their  clerk,  and  the  negro 
looked  up  with  a  curious  interest  as  the  prisoner 


THE  STAR    CHAMBER.  87 

was  conducted  before  them.  They  wondered  what 
manner  of  man  this  reckless  cut-throat  the  wit 
nesses  described  would  be,  and  all  felt  surprise  at 
the  delicate  form  and  startled  face  of  the  youth  who 
advanced  with  difficulty  before  them,  his  ankles 
being  chained  with  a  short  fetter.  His  conductor 
scrupulously  led  him  to  a  spot  precisely  in  the 
centre  of  the  room,  placed  his  cap  in  his  bound 
hands,  and  withdrew,  closing  the  door,  which  the 
slave  bolted. 

If  Narvaez  had  not  at  first  comprehended  the  im 
minence  and  extremity  of  the  danger  he  accepted, 
he  realized  it  now  in  standing  before  a  tribunal 
distinguished  for  never  leaning  to  the  side  of  mercy. 
He  knew  that  to  confess  was  to  incur  immediate 
sentence  of  death,  with  no  hope  beyond  Barbari- 
go's  frail  promise  of  rescue.  To  deny  was  to  be 
ordered  instantly  upon  the  rack.  He  looked  at  the 
judges  before  him  in  their  scarlet  robes,  and  read 
an  unflinching  purpose  upon  the  face  of  each;  then 
he  glanced  at  the  secretary,  trimming  his  pens, 
and  at  the  slave  still  fingering  his  metal  gag;  then 
his  eye  rested  upon  the  rack,  and  at  sight  of  that 
appalling  instrument  the  anguish  of  despair  came 
over  him  in  a  thought  of  convulsed  lips,  and 
starting  eyes,  and  lacerated  flesh,  and  sobs  and 
shrieks. 

"  Young  man,"  began  the  elder  and  apparently 
the  chief  of  the  Three,  after  a  pause  of  silent  scru- 


88  SFORZA. 

tiny,  "  you  come  before  us  charged  with  the  great 
est  offence  known  to  the  law  of  Venice.  We  are 
here  to  determine  your  punishment,  and  although 
the  testimony  setting  forth  your  words  and  actions 
yesterday,  corroborated  by  the  forged  and  fictitious 
papers  found  upon  you,  leaves  no  doubt  of  your 
guilty  purpose,  yet  such  is  the  justice  that  rules 
the  community  against  which  you  meditated  a 
monstrous  crime,  that  you  shall  not  be  deprived  of 
a  hearing  nor  of  a  single  form  of  law.  But  that 
you  may  know  how  vain  were  any  pretence  of 
equivocation,  you  shall  hear  read  the  declarations 
which  sustain  the  charge  against  you." 

The  unhappy  Narvaez  listened  in  a  horrible 
bewilderment  to  the  formal  accusation,  followed 
by  the  testimony  of  the  two  boatmen. 

Once  more  his  judge  addressed  him  :  "  Do  you 
acknowledge  yourself  to  be  the  person  charged 
with  this  plot?  "  he  asked. 

"  Yes ;  I  am  Hermes  Sforza,  nephew  to  the  Duke 
of  Milan." 

"  And  do  you  confess  yourself  guilty  of  the  pur 
pose  to  murder  a  harmless  and  defenceless  old 
man?" 

"What  avails  it  to  attempt  a  denial?"  replied 
the  prisoner. 

"A  denial!"  echoed  the  Venetian;  "nay,  at 
tempt  it  not.  Beware  how  you  tax  our  forbear 
ance  with  denials.  Only  the  full  truth  can  niiti- 


THE   RTAIi    CHAMBER.  §0 

gate,  in  some  slight  degree,  the  measure  of  your 
deserts.  You  admit,  then,  your  guilt?" 

It  was  only  the  choice  between  the  immediate 
mutilation  of  the  rack,  and  the  supreme  penalty, 
and  Narvaez  realized  that  he  signed  his  own 
death-warrant  in  answering,  "  I  do." 

"  But,"  pursued  his  examiner,  "  last  evening, 
before  the  signori  di  notte,  and  in  presence  of  the 
witnesses,  you  strenuously  asserted  innocence." 

"  I  knew  not  then  that  the  proof  was  conclusive 
against  me." 

"  Perverted  wretch  !  And  what  led  you  to  such 
devilish  malevolence  ?  " 

"The  hope  of  saving  Milan." 

"  You  were  not  alone  ;  your  denouncers  say  you 
had  a  companion.  Who  was  he  ?  " 

"A  Spanish  fencing-master  named  Narvaez." 

The  three  councillors  exchanged  significant 
glances.  Then  the  elder  proceeded  :  "  It  is  fortu 
nate  that  you  now  repair  your  fault  before  the 
police  in  refusing  to  give  his  name  ;  to  show  how 
futile  was  your  boyish  attempt  to  shield  him,  know 
that  the  osteria  where  you  breakfasted  was  readily 
discovered,  and  that,  by  searching  your  luggage, 
enough  was  learned  to  establish  the  identity  of 
you  both.  J>ut  one  point  remains,  and  I  caution 
you  to  beware  of  any  subterfuge.  Where  is  this 
fellow  concealed  ?  " 

"  Has  he  not  been  taken  ?  "  exclaimed  Xarvaez. 


90  SFORZA. 

"  Answer  me  not  with  a  question,"  replied  the 
judge  severely,  "and  hesitate  at  your  peril." 

"  I  last  saw  him  yesterday,  at  sunset,  on  the 
piazza  ;  before  his  return  I  was  seized  and  carried 
off.  If  he  were  not  found  at  the  osteria,  he  must 
have  fled  from  Venice  on  hearing  of  my  arrest." 

"  It  is  impossible  for  him  to  have  passed  the 
guards ;  tell  me  instantly  the  familiar  haunts  in 
which  he  may  have  sought  hiding,  or  you  shall 
speak  upon  the  rack." 

"O  masters!"  answered  Narvaez,  with  a  despair 
ing  wail,  "  dispose  of  me  as  you  will ;  to  every 
question  I  have  spoken  the  truth,  and,  however 
you  may  mutilate  my  poor  body,  upon  this  matter 
I  shall  still  know  only  that  I  was  twelve  hours  in 
Venice  ;  that  we  went  to  but  one  public  house  ; 
that  the  commonest  thoroughfare  in  your  city  is 
unfamiliar  to  me  ;  that  it  is  impossible  for  me  to 
know  whither  this  youth  may  have  betaken  him 
self." 

The  inexorable  face  of  the  Venetian  darkened 
with  the  sullen  displeasure  of  one  whose  will 
brooks  no  denial.  He  turned  to  the  expectant 
slave,  and  motioned  a,  command  which  the  latter 
awaited.  He  stepped  to  Narvaez,  grasped  him  by 
the  shoulders,  and  pushed  him  to  the  rack. 

At  this  moment  the  councillor  who  sat  at  the  left 
of  him  who  had  conducted  the  interrogatory,  and 
who  had  more  than  once  shown  impatience  at  the 


THE  STAR    CH'AllBER.  91 

elaboration  with  which  obvious  conclusions  were 
reached,  interposed.  He  had  been  summoned  in 
the  gray  of  the  morning  from  the  bedside  of  his 
dying  child,  and  even  the  adamant  of  his  spirit 
could  be  so  far  impressed  as  to  abridge  details 
and  hang  the  accused  with  a  short  halter. 

"What  avails  it,"  he  exclaimed,  "  that  we  listen 
for  the  next  hour  to  the  whimpering  of  this  hare 
brained  boy?  He  cannot  know  where  another 
rogue  has  run  to,  or,  if  he  does,  put  him  to  some 
thing  more  intense  than  the  rack — let  him  suffer 
the  question  in  the  first  degree,  and  in  five  min 
utes  we  will  have  the  truth  and  his  vitals  out  to 
gether." 

The  slave  paused,  and  the  three  Venetians  en 
gaged  in  a  brief  colloquy,  at  the  end  of  which  the 
senior  of  them,  for  the  last  time  addressing  Nar- 
vaez,  said  : 

"  Hermes  Sforza,  you  are  convicted  by  the  evi 
dence,  and  by  your  admission,  of  a  crime  whose 
punishment  in  every  land  is  death.  It  is  as  vain 
to  interrogate  you  upon  the  motives  which  in 
duced  your  abominable  resolve,  as  to  question  you 
further  about  your  comrade.  He  will  be  taken, 
and  of  you,  meanwhile,  a  prompt  example  shall 
be  made.  The  Council  takes  into  consideration 
every  circumstance  for  and  against  you,  and  passes 
judgment  without  passion.  The  directness  of 
your  answers  spares  you  the  question;  and  the 


92  SFORZA. 

honor  of  your  name,  however  yon  individually  may 
have  soiled  it,  induces  us  to  remit  the  penalties 
which  a  common  criminal  would  suffer.  Had  you 
been  a  Venetian,  we  should  have  spared  the  state 
the  shame  of  knowing  the  baseness  of  one  of  her 
sous,  and  have  caused  your  instant  execution  be 
fore  us.  But,  as  warning  to  foreign  adventurers, 
our  sentence  is  that  you  be  returned  to  the  cell 
whence  you  were  brought,  and  that  to-morrow,  at 
the  rising  of  the  sun,  you  be  taken,  gagged  as  a 
malefactor,  to  the  red  pillars,  and  there  strangled." 


CHAPTER  VI. 

BETWEEN    THI-:    R/J)    PILLARS. 

UPON  leaving  the  doge's  presence,  Hermes  was 
conducted  to  the  uppermost  floor,  where,  on  tap 
ping  at  a  small  entrance,  there  appeared  a  clerical- 
looking  individual,  who  was  evidently  prepared  for 
their  corning.  The  secretary  paused  hut  to  ad 
dress  him  in  a  hasty  whisper ;  and  by  the  time 
Hermes  had  glanced  ji.1x.nit,  the  door  was  closed 
and  the  doge's  brother  was  gone. 

The  attic  to  which  he  had  been  guided  was 
directly  under  a  leaden  roof,  whereon  the  morning 
sun  streamed  with  intense  heat.  He  sat  down 
upon  a  rough  stool,  of  which  there  were  several, 
and,  burying  his  fjice  in  his  hands,  abandoned  him 
self  to  a  sombre  meditation.  Then,  as  the  promise 
of  escape  returned,  he  sprang  up  and  strode  from 
one  window  to  another. 

At  each  his  eye  covered  a  wide  panorama.  From 
one  could  be  seen  the  lagoon,  and  beyond  it  the 
Lido  and  the  Adriatic,  lying  still  and  glassy  in  the 
breathless  intensity  of  the  summer  heat,  and  with 
stationary  s;iils  upon  the  horixon;  from  another 
he  beheld  acres  of  tiled  roofs,  with  curiously  oma- 


94  SFORZA. 

merited  chimneys  and  weather-vanes,  and  here  and 
there  a  covey  of  pigeons  in  the  shade  of  some  cor 
nice  ;  from  the  third  was  caught  a  peep  at  the  me 
chanical  bell-strikers  of  the  famous  clock-tower, 
and,  far  away  in  the  northern  distance,  across  the 
glare  of  sunlight,  the  glistening  peaks  of  the  Car- 
nic  Alps. 

Then  he  looked  at  the  man  in  whose  custody  he 
had  been  left,  .and  whose  austere  face  and  simple 
garb  had  caused  Hermes,  when  he  first  entered,  to 
take  him  for  some  scrivener  in  the  doge's  private 
employ,  to  whom  such  confidential  service  might 
be  entrusted.  But  a  closer  notice  of  the  intel 
lectual  countenance,  the  delicate  hands,  the  refined 
accent  in  speaking,  and  the  dignified  and  courtly 
air,  roused  in  him  a  momentary  interest  in  the 
stranger. 

The  latter  scrutinized  Hermes  with  his  great 
sad  eyes,  then  a  faint  smile  softened  his  thin  and 
rigid  lips  as  the  thought  came  to  him  that  so 
young  and  handsome  a  culprit  had  doubtless 
sinned  through  the  customary  offence  of  an  ill- 
considered  gallantry. 

"Well,  well,"  he  said,  with  slow,  deliberate  ut 
terance,  and  with  a  pleasant  kindliness  of  manner, 
as  though  willing  to  touch  this  misadventure  with 
the  solace  of  resignation,  "  to  one  well  favored  as 
yourself  all  is  not  lost  while  love  remains,  and  'tis 
sure  that  neither  the  humblest  nor  the  proudest 


BETWEEN   THE  RED    PILLARS.  95 

woman  in  the  world  denies  the  sweetness  of  being 
its  object.  Yet  in  my  own  young  days  I  noticed 
that  men  are  no  less  vain  than  women,  and  that 
while  women  will  die  if  they  be  not  talked  to 
about  some  quality  they  possess,  that  men  delight 
most  in  hearing  of  the  things  they  have  not.  To 
win  a  man  of  low  order  you  have  but  to  praise  his 
intelligence.  If  he  be  a  spendthrift,  ask  what's  the 
news  upon  'change.  If  he  is  old,  and  rheum-eyed, 
and  gouty,  quiz  him  upon  his  conquests  with  the 
fair.'' 

"  Alas  !  "  replied  Hermes  to  this  apostrophe,  "  a 
sore  heart  has  no  humor  to  gossip  ;  therefore  suffer 
me  to  digest  my  trouble  in  silence,  or,  if  you  would 
give  me  food  for  reflection,  be  it  of  that  substantial 
kind  over  which  men  differ  less  easily.  I  have  not 
eaten  more  than  a  biscuit  since  yesterday's  break 
fast, — a  vile  one,  as  you  will  believe  if  you  know 
the  Osteria  della  Fame." 

The  stranger  listened  with  a  comical  gesture  of 
sympathy.  "You  will  lodge  little  better  here,"  lie 
answered,  "for  there  is  no  refectory  in  the  palace, 
and  the  needs  of  my  own  appetite  are  infinitely 
small." 

"  It  is  not  your  appetite  but  mine  own  I  feel 
for:  no  refectory  in  the  palace!  poor  starvelings, 
has  it  come  to  that  in  Venice1?  Were  we  in  the 
castle  of  Milan  I  could  tell  a  different  story  ;  but 
on  the  piazza  are  cooks'  shops, —  the  last  thought 


96  SFORZA. 

of  my  freedom  was  of  a  collop  of  beef  and  a  bird ; 
surely,  something  can  be  brought  me." 

"  And  you  think  it  would  not  attract  the  keen 
eyes  of  suspicion  were  I,  who  for  two  days  have 
lived  like  the  pigeons,  to  set  myself  ordering  col- 
lops  of  beef  ?  " 

The  last  words  arrested  Hermes'  attention. 
"You  have  lived  here  but  two  days?  "  he  queried 
in  surprise. 

"  Ay,  two  days  that  seem  as  months." 

"  I  took  this  for  your  abode.  Are  you,  too,  in 
hiding? — have  we  both  tried  to  assassinate  the — 

"  Assassinate  !  "  interrupted  the  other  with  every 
mark  of  horror.  "  They  told  me  you  were  guilty 
of  some  trivial  fault.  Holy  St.  Theodore,  what 
purification  can  suffice  to  cleanse  me  from  all  these 
worldly  stains  ?  " 

"Of  what  monstrous  things  have  you  been 
guilty  ?  "  ejaculated  Hermes.  "  One  would  think 
you  had  committed  the  unpardonable  sin." 

The  Venetian  started  at  the  words,  as  if  he  heard 
in  them  the  condemnation  of  his  own  conscience. 

"  Woe  is  me !  "  he  exclaimed,  joining  his  hands 
and  twisting  his  sinewy  fingers  together ;  "  that 
chance  utterance  of  a  stranger  speaks  the  words 
that  ring  in  my  ears  night  and  day— the  unpar 
donable  sin! — the  unpardonable  sin — 

"  And  what  is  the  unpardonable  sin  ?  "  ventured 
Hermes,  awestruck  by  the  other's  despair ;  "  tell 


BETWEEN   THE  RED  PILLARS.  97 

me,  that  I  may  profit  by  your  warning  an(l  avoid 
it." 

The  Venetian  glanced  sharply  about  him,  as  one 
in  habitual  dread  of  eavesdroppers  ;  then,  turning 
upon  Hermes  his  eyes,  which  an  extraordinary 
excitement  filled  with  a  glow  akin  to  the  light  of 
insanity,  he  asked  in  an  abrupt  whisper  : 

"  For  whom  do  you  take  me  ?  " 

"  At  first  I  thought  you  some  trusted  clerk,  to 
whose  confidence  my  safety  was  committed ;  but 
since  you  have  been  only  two  days  in  this  dreadful 
garret,  and  acknowledge  the  guilt  of  a  nameless 
crime,  it  occurs  to  me  that  you  may  be  a  fugitive 
like  myself." 

"  The  guilt  of  a  nameless  crime  and  «  fugitive  ! 
Alas,  yes.  You  have  read  my  wretched  life  like 
an  open  scroll.  Listen. 

"In  my  youth  I  was  an  officer  in  the  Venetian 
service,  and  commanded  troops  in  the  Levant. 
Beside  the  glory  of  conquest,  it  was  my  ambition 
to  share  the  higher  reward  of  those  who  piously 
recovered  the  relics  of  the  Saints  who  had  suffered 
martyrdom  in  the  cities  within  our  reach.  To  dis 
cover  the  missing  ribs  of  St.  Theodore  was  my 
constant  preoccupation.  One  soft  afternoon,  as  I 
walked  along  the  street  of  a  Saracen  town  we  had 
captured,  the  thought  filled  my  mind  with  unusual 
intensity.  The  palm  brandies  rustled  faintly  in 
the  breeze  ;  ahead  of  me,  down  a  vista  of  bazaars, 


98  SFOftZA. 

strolled  an  Egyptian  merchant ;  from  behind  a 
harem  lattice  peeped  the  laughing  faces  of  two 
young  girls  ;  and  at  the  balcony  of  a  spire  whose 
gilded  point  glittered  like  a  lance-head  held  aloft, 
leaned  a  friar  ringing  the  Ave  Maria  from  a  Chris 
tian  bell  suspended  upon  the  Moslem  shaft.  And 
through  the  vague  sound  of  that  faint  tinkling, 
and  with  the  solemn  measure  of  waves  breaking  in 
ocean  caves,  came  the  voice  of  St.  Theodore  him 
self,  speaking  to  me  in  accents  of  reproof  for 
thinking  more  of  the  sanctified  dead  bones  of  oth 
ers  than  of  the  living  flesh  of  my  own  evil  nature, 
and  I  stood  rooted  to  the  ground  while  he  im 
posed  upon  me  the  vows  of  celibacy  and  of  pov 
erty,  for  the  glory  of  God.  And  when  the  words 
were  spoken,  I  beheld,  as  before,  the  merchant 
strolling  idly  down  the  street  of  shops,  and  the 
indistinct  faces  laughing  behind  the  netting  of  the 
harem  window,  and  heard  again,  though  now  with 
new  and  consecrated  meaning,  the  soft,  sweet  sum 
mons  to  prayer. 

"  And  after  ten  years  spent  in  a  monastery  near 
the  Alps,  the  Senate  recalled  me.  You  may  well 
look  amazed  !  My  family,  which  in  past  genera 
tions  gave  a  doge  and  rendered  some  service  to 
the  state,  was  about  to  become  extinct.  And 
therefore  Venice  commanded  me  to  forswear  my 
vow  and  renounce  the  life  which  St.  Theodore  had 
appointed,  and  marry.  And,  as  a  servant  of  my 


BETWEEN   THE  RED   PILLARS.  99 

native  city,  I  obeyed,  and  I  Lave  lived  three  years 
in  the  wedlock  that  to  me  was  forbidden,  and  in 
the  house  that  was  my  home  are  two  infant  boys 
to  perpetuate  my  name.  But  ever  the  voice  of  St. 
Theodore  rang  in  my  ears — •'  The  unpardonable  *i», 
tlte,  unspeakable  sin  '• — and  three  days  ago  I  left  all, 
and  having  confided  my  secret  to  Barbarigo,  even 
as  I  have  told  it  unto  you,  wait  now  till  an  oppor 
tunity  is  found  to  send  mo  back  to  the  Monastery— 
well  named — of  Love  Divine." 

Hermes  listened  in  silence  to  this  grotesque  and 
heartless  tale.  It  required  no  effort  of  the  fif 
teenth-century  mind  to  conceive  this  strange  char 
acter,  to  admire  its  bigoted  and  fanatical  mania, 
and  to  construe  as  saintly  heroism  the  cruel  and 
tragic  selfishness  of  the  end.  The  possessions  of 
this  man's  new  life  could  have  seemed  to  him  no 
nearer  and  no  more  significant  than  are  fading 
sails  on  the  hori/on  to  the  voyager;  not  even  the 
prattle  of  his  babes  had  drowned  the  mystical 
admonition  of  St.  Theodore;  not  all  the  tender 
bonds  of  home  and  love  had  availed  against  the 
fervent  summons  that  floated  ceaselessly  from  mo 
nastic  cloisters,  and  that  must  have  touched  him 
infinitely  and  irresistibly — even  as  the  faint  peal 
ing  of  church  bells,  borne  o'er  the  sea  at  sunset, 
thrills  forever  the  heart  of  Dante's  mariner,  out 
ward  bound. 

An  hour  passed  heavily  away.  A  servant  brought 


100  SFORZA. 

them  a  frugal  repast,  and,  this  disposed  of,  Hermes 
threw  off  his  silken  doublet  and  walked  the  room, 
pausing  now  and  again  at  the  windows  to  catch  the 
breaths  of  air  that  stirred.  After  mid-day  the  heat 
became  excruciating,  and  he  paced  to  and  fro  with 
flushed  face,  and  the  moisture  standing  upon  his 
brow,  and  his  eyes  vacant,  and  his  hands  clenched 
together,  as  there  rose  incessantly  before  him  the 
image  of  Narvaez,  alone  and  defenceless,  before 
that  terrible  tribunal.  As  the  day  drew  to  a  close, 
and  the  flaming  sunset  faded  to  emerald  on  the 
horizon,  his  nervous  striding  up  and  down  sank  to 
a  measured  tread,  while  now  and  then  he  paused 
to  observe  the  diminishing  daylight,  fancying  how 
infinitely  sad  must  be  its  vanishing  from  the  dun 
geon  bars  through  which  Narvaez  was  doubtless 
watching  it. 

The  Venetian  sat  unheeding,  in  motionless  ab 
straction,  all  the  day.  At  dusk  he  rose,  and,  pro 
ducing  flint,  steel,  and  tinder,  was  about  to  light  the 
end  of  a  twisted  taper,  when  a  thought  of  the  pos 
sible  risk  for  Hermes  of  showing  a  light  in  that 
unfrequented  part  of  the  palace  deterred  him.  A 
moment  after  the  door  opened,  and,  in  the  obscu 
rity,  the  doge's  brother  entered. 

His  first  words  brought  infinite  relief.  Narvaez 
had  escaped  the  question,  and  was  to  be  substi 
tuted  for  another  prisoner  whose  trivial  fault  the 
doge  could  condone. 


HETWEEX   THE  KED   PILLARS.  101 

"  But  if  Barbarigo  can  substitute  and  par 
don  whom  he  will,  why  not  release  Narvaez  at 

O11C3?  " 

"  Because  3-0111-  offense  is  beyond  pardon  ;  the 
other  prisoner,  who  is  a  youth  of  his  own  age,  is 
held  upon  a  petty  accusation — some  private  ven 
detta  which  can  be  dismissed." 

"  How  is  it  possible  that  lie  can  put  one  prisoner 
in  another's  place  ?  " 

At  this  innocent  question  the  secretary  laughed 
sardonically.  "  Have  you  never  heard  of  such 
things  in  Milan?"  was  his  only  reply. 

"But  you  say  Narvaez  is  condemned  to  death  '?  " 

"It  is  true."' 

"  Then  this  other  youth  will  suffer  in  his  place." 

"Cosa  vuole  !  what  would  you?  that  is  the  way 
of  the  world." 

"And  Narvaez0  '' 

"  Will  be  released  in  the  early  morning,  when 
the  prison  watch  is  changed,  and  conveyed  in  a 
gondola  to  the  steps  behind  St.  Mark's,  within 
which,  for  greater  safety,  you  and  this  gentleman 
Avill  pass  to-night;  thence  vou  will  all  be  taken  to 
Fusina,  where  suitable  papers  will  pass  you  through 
the  guards." 

Some  time  after  this  comforting  visit,  the  bells 
of  the  clock-tower  rang  out  the  hour,  and  the 
Venetian,  rising,  beckoned  Hermes  to  follow. 


102  SFORZA. 

"  And  whither  ?  " 

"Where  Barbarigo's  instructions  siimmon — to 
pass  the  night  in  St.  Mark's." 

"  And  why  not  pass  it  here  ?  " 

"  Because  we  could  not  leave  in  the  morning 
without  attracting  notice,  even  if  we  got  out  at 
all." 

"  How,  then,  are  we  to  leave  St.  Mark's  ?  " 

"After  it  is  closed,  at  midnight,  the  keys  are 
hung  in  the  sacristy.  Fear  not  but  we  shall  find 
it  a  trusty  hiding-place." 

They  reached  the  menials'  stair,  felt  their  way 
down  its  winding  and  unlighted  length,  and,  after 
a  descent  that  in  the  obscurity  seemed  intermina 
ble,  emerged  beneath  the  arches  and  looked  out 
over  the  piazza  upon  the  crowd  that  sat  and  strolled 
and  talked  along  its  brilliant  extent.  The  distance 
to  the  vestibule  of  the  church  was  only  fifty  paces, 
but  neither  dared  risk  the  scrutiny  of  eyes  that 
might  be  watching.  They  therefore  turned  into 
an  alley,  and,  crossing  a  bridge,  walked  guardedly 
along  a  dim  passage,  lighted  at  the  corners  by  can 
dles  flickering  before  saintly  images,  whereof  not 
a  few  had  already  burned  to  the  end,  leaving  saints 
and  street  alike  in  darkness. 

As  they  again  emerged  upon  the  canaletto  there 
arose  the  sound  of  exquisite  music — the  tinkling 
cadencas  of  mandolins,  the  thrumming  of  the  gui 
tar  of  Castile,  and  the  voice  of  a  lover  serenading 


BETWEEN  THE  RED    I'lLLAIifi.  103 

with  the  thrilling  inspiration  of  Italian  song.  A 
slow,  sweet  prelude  rose  and  foil  with  amorous  pa 
thos  and  passion,  and  Hermes  ventured  nearer  till 
he  beheld  a  gondola  with  flaring  torches  and  indis 
tinct  forms  reflected  in  the  motionless  water,  and 
pointed  windows  and  sculptured  reliefs  and  fres 
coed  colonnades  above. 

The  music  sank  to  a  pleading  intensity,  and 
rippled  away.  To  Hermes  that  quaint  old  song 
of  the  Sunbeam  and  the  Hose  was  familiar  :  often 
had  he  heard  it  sung,  in  Milan,  in  the  twilight 
of  languorous  evenings,  by  strolling  minstrels  in 
whose  pipes  and  lutes  and  vibrant  voices  the  pop 
ulace  delighted. 


Reclining  low  on  a  mossy  IHM!,  through  the  summer's  dreamy 

repose, 
Blushing   at   noonday  a  deeper  red,   lay  the  lustre  of  earth — a 

Rose  : 

As  fair  as  a  hope  of  to-morrow,  as  sweet  as  a  dream  of  to-day, 
She  knew  not  the  autumn  of  sorrow,   nor  the  freezing  touch  of 

decay. 


A  Sunbeam  parting  the  leaves  above  stole  softly  through  creeper 

and  vine, 
And  whispering  words  of  burning  love  cried,  '•  Rose,  darling  Rose, 

Ihou  art  mine  !  " 
But  ending  their  fondest  embraces,  and  quenching  the  thrill  of 

delight, 
Fell  a  veil  that  dispels  and  effaces,  with   the   shadowy  languors 

of  night. 


104  SFORZA. 

As  Man   reverts  to  the   brilliant   past,  when  the  day  we  call 

'•  Life"  is  done, 
So,  as  the  Sunbeam  faded  at  last,  the  Rose  turned  to  the  setting 

sun ; 
And   the  evening  breeze  idling  near  her   caught  a  murmur  it 

echoes  yet, 
That  was  partly  a  sob  of  rapture,  and  partly  a  sigh  of  regret. 

Ere  the  song  ended  Hermes  and  his  companion 
had  reached  a  side-door  of  St.  Mark's.  They 
walked,  in  almost  complete  darkness,  down  the 
pavement  which  the  reverential  tread  of  millions 
had  already  worn  to  unevenness,  and  concealed 
themselves  in  an  obscure  corner.  Only  two  can 
dles  and  the  lurid  spark  of  a  lamp  burned  on  the 
altar.  They  could  distinguish  faint  silhouettes  of 
the  glimmering  spans  of  the  roof,  and  the  sculp 
tured  chancel  with  iron  rail  twisted  and  beaten 
into  fantastic  shapes,  and  the  line  of  ivory-white 
apostles,  and  beyond  them  the  bronze  statues  of  the 
illustrious  dead.  The  altar  stood  out  in  spectral 
prominence,  and  upon  the  tracery  of  its  carved  and 
figured  surface  the  moonlight,  slanting  through 
lofty  windows  of  illuminated  glass,  laid  soft,  trans 
parent  coloring  in  feathery  shafts  of  lemon,  and 
sprays  of  clear  sea-green,  and  stains  of  ruby,  pass 
ing  to  pearly  tints  of  sapphire,  all  which,  when 
falling  thus  within  a  sacred  precinct,  the  pious  con- 
tadini  call,  "  the  flowers  of  the  Virgin  Madonna." 

Exhausted  beyond  endurance,  Hermes  soon  fell 


BETWEEN   THE  RED   PILLARS.  105 

into  a  slumber,  from  which  he  was  awakened  by 
the  steady  and  ominous  tolling  of  one  of  the  great 
bells  above.  At  the  head  of  the  church  more 
lights  had  appeared,  and  several  figures  were  mov 
ing.  He  started  with  a  throb  of  despair  at  the 
thought  of  discovery,  but  beside  him  sat  the  Ve 
netian,  alert  and  attentive,  and  in  the  chancel  was 
seen  nothing  more  threatening  than  a  venerable 
bishop,  who  advanced  in  full  view,  while  about 
him  clustered  attendant  priests  and  choristers. 
Having  performed  the  usual  genuflections  before 
the  altar,  he  faced  the  few  people  who  had  gathered, 
silent  and  awestruck,  in  the  body  of  the  church, 
while  the  choir  began  a  shrill  chant  from  one  of 
the  Psalms  of  David  : 

"  Set  thou  a  wicked  man  over  him,  and  let  Satan 
stand  at  his  right  hand. 

"When  he  shall  be  judged,  let  him  be  con 
demned  :  and  let  his  prayer  become  sin. 

"  Let  his  days  be  few,  and  lot  another  take  his 
office. 

"Let  his  children  be  fatherless  and  his  wife  a 
widow. 

"  Let  his  children  be  continually  vagabonds  and 
beg  ;  let  them  seek  their  bread  also  out  of  deso 
late  places. 

"Let  the  extortioner  catch  all  that  he  hath,  and 
let  strangers  spoil  his  labor. 


106  SFORZA. 

"  Let  there  be  none  to  extend  mercy  unto  him  ; 
neither  let  there  be  any  to  favor  his  fatherless 
children. 

"  Let  his  posterity  be  cut  off,  and  in  the 
generation  following  let  their  name  be  blotted 
out." 

Hermes  recognized  the  function  of  the  major 
excommunication,  and  knew  these  words  to  be  the 
preliminary  summoning  up  of  the  sinister  images 
wherewith,  in  olden  days,  the  Church  afflicted  the 
souls  of  men.  The  chant  ceased,  and  the  bishop 
entered  upon  a  lengthy  recital  of  the  pains  and 
penalties  which  followed  body  and  soul  of  one 
excluded  from  the  fold,  the  priests  answering  at 
intervals  in  chorus.  On  earth  the  excommunicated 
was  prohibited  from  entering  a  place  of  worship, 
and,  this  life  ended,  his  spirit  was  consigned  to 
Satan.  He  was  denied  the  sacraments ;  he  could 
not  marry  while  living,  nor  be  interred  when  dead  ; 
he  was  "  a  putrid  member  to  be  severed  from  the 
body  of  the  faithful;"  he  was  to  be  shunned  as  a 
leper ;  and  whoever  held  converse  with  him,  or 
relieved  his  necessity,  or  harbored  him  in  peril,  or 
took  compassion  upon  his  hunger,  became  a  part 
ner  in  his  guilt  and  incurred  the  like  anathema. 
As  Hermes  peeped  from  his  hiding-place  and 
heard  these  weird  denunciations,  it  seemed  to  him, 
in  his  starved  and  forlorn  condition,  as  if  they 


BETWEEN    THE  RED   PILLARS.  107 

were  directed  against  himself,  and  were  already  in 
a  fair  way  to  fulfilment. 

A  lighted  candle  of  yellow  wax  was  now  placed, 
with  profuse  reyerences,  in  the  hands  of  the  officiat 
ing  bishop,  and  smaller  tapers  were  distributed 
among  the  attendant  priests.  A  pause  followed, 
during  which  the  church  bells  were  noisily  rung 
in  discord,  as  emblematic  of  the  alarm  and  unrest 
which  should  thereafter  possess  the  soul  of  him 
about  to  be  named.  Then  the  bishop  proclaimed 
the  unfortunate  who  had  incurred  these  manifold 
distresses,  and  slowly  and  impressively  pronounced 
the  sentence  : 

"  I  excommunicate  him  ;  and  as  the  light  of  this 
c.indlc  is  now  extinguished,  so  may  the  light  of  the 
Church  be  lost  to  him,  and  his  soul  be  damned 
forever ! " 

And,  thus  speaking,  he  dashed  his  candle  vio 
lently  to  the  ground,  and  the  priests,  casting  down 
those  which  they  held,  repeated  after  him  : 

"  His  soul  bo  damned  forever  !  " 

The  church  was  thereby  left  in  its  original 
obscurity.  The  companv  that  had  gathered  dis 
persed  with  many  crossings  and  bendings  of  de 
vout  knees.  The  bishop  and  his  assistants  with 
drew,  the  bells  no  longer  sounded,  an  acolyte 
busied  himself  with  the  covering  of  the  altar, 
and  the  sacristan  began  the  closing  of  the 
doors. 


108  SFORZA. 

The  night  passed ;  the  barking  and  howling  of 
dogs  on  the  piazza  ceased,  and  a  sombre  day 
daAvned  as  Hermes  raised  himself,  bruised  and 
stiff,  from  fitful  snatches  of  sleep,  to  an  awakening 
worse  than  the  distorted  visions  of  the  night.  The 
day  passed  in  dim,  cold  streaks  through  lofty 
windows,  and  the  first  sound  that  reached  him  was 
the  pattering  of  raindrops.  The  mechanical  fig 
ures  on  the  clock-tower  hammered  out  the  hour  of 
five,  and,  in  obedience  to  a  gesture  from  his  com 
panion,  he  walked  noiselessly  to  the  main  entrance, 
in  the  door  of  which  was  its  great  bronze  key. 
They  passed  the  vestibule,  and  looked  across  the 
piazza  to  the  two  historic  pillars,  between  whose 
shafts  had  been,  for  centuries,  the  place  of  pub 
lic  execution.  Already  half  a  dozen  men  from 
the  prison  stood  there  in  the  rain,  adjusting  a 
rope. 

Beneath  that  lowering  sky  Venice  presented  a 
dreary  aspect  :  the  deserted  pavement  glistened 
in  the  wet,  and  only  the  pigeons  stirred  beneath 
the  arcades,  or  peeped  from  their  shelter  along  the 
eaves. 

Despite  the  nervous  fatigue  following  upon  hun 
ger,  sleeplessness,  and  anxiety,  Hermes  was  alert 
and  keenly  watchful.  He  believed  that  his  own 
deliverance  was  at  hand,  and  that,  at  the  appointed 
hour,  Narvaez  would  be  released.  But,  for  a  mo 
ment,  a  great  excitement  absorbed  and  detained 


BETWEEN    THE  It  ED    PILLARS.  109 

him,  for  it  was  evident  that  an  innocent  life  was  to 
be  sacrificed. 

He  did  not  long  remain  in  suspense  :  a  file  of 
halberdiers  emerged  from  the  palace,  and  with 
them  came  a  black-veiled  executioner,  and  in  their 
midst  walked  the  youth  who  was  to  pay  the  forfeit 
of  Narvaez's  escape,  and,  on  each  side,  a  religious 
brother  of  the  order  whose  office  it  was  to  accom 
pany  the  condemned  to  execution.  His  arms  were 
pinioned,  his  ankles  chained,  and  across  his  mouth 
was  a  scarf  covering  the  gag  wherewith  the  Coun 
cil  stifled  his  utterance.  The  figure  was  slender, 
like  the  fencer's ;  the  step,  the  hair,  the  very  dress 
were  his. 

A  violent  tremor  fell  upon  Hermes  as  the  escort 
passed  to  where  the  men  were  waiting  with  silken 
cords.  He  understood  it  all  now — but  too  late  : 
the  doge  had  deceived  him — it  was  Narvaez  who 
stood  there — and  in  his  helplessness  his  lips  quiv 
ered,  his  eyes  filled  with  tears,  his  brain  reeled,  he 
dropped  upon  his  knees,  and  commenced  an  inar 
ticulate  recital  of  prayers.  The  veiled  headsman's 
work  was  dexterously  finished ;  to  the  lust  the 
monks  muttered  their  supplications  for  the  dying, 
while,  in  accordance  with  his  sentence,  the  culprit 
was  strangled  between  the  pillars  which  bear  the 
emblems  of  ancient  Venice,  and,  after  a  brief 
spasm,  his  inanimate  body  rested  against  the  post 
to  which  it  had  been  bound.  And,  at  the  instant, 


110  SFORZA. 

the  Venetian  touched  Hermes  on  the  shoulder, 
and  together  they  hastened  to  the  bridge  behind 
St.  Mark's,  and  there  lay  a  swift  barge  with  four 
rowers,  and  hidden  under  the  awning  sat  some 
one,  and  Hermes  sprang  in  with  an  oath  eloquent 
of  great  joy,  and  the  Venetian  followed,  and  the 
boatmen  pushed  off  without  a  word  and  plunged 
into  the  obscurity  of  the  canal. 

And  it  was  indeed  Narvaez  who  sat  beneath 
the  cover,  pale  and  weary,  but  unharmed.  And 
Hermes,  not  knowing,  at  the  instant,  in  what 
words  to  put  his  feelings,  cast  his  arms  about  the 
fencer's  neck,  and  kissed  him,  after  the  Italian 
fashion,  upon  each  cheek. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

A    PROPHECY    OF   THE    STABS. 

THE  twilight  hour  of  a  quiet  evening  was  well 
advanced  as  Hermes  Sforza  and  Narvaez  separated 
at  the  gate  of  Milan  ;  the  fencer  to  return  to  his 
school  of  arms,  and  Hermes  to  announce  the  result 
of  their  journey  to  the  duke. 

At  that  moment  Ludovico  was  awaiting  the 
soothsayer,  Almodoro,  for  whom  he  had  sent  upon 
receiving  a  despatch  announcing  the  capture,  by 
the  French,  of  the  garrison  of  Aenone,  and  reveal 
ing  the  dejection  and  lethargy  of  his  generals.  It 
was  his  purpose  to  hasten  to  Alessandria  to  re 
store  the  confidence  of  the  army  ;  but,  in  accord 
ance  with  the  prevailing  habit,  before  taking  a 
step  of  unusual  moment,  he  first  sought  an  admo 
nition  from  the  stars. 

He  had  locked  himself,  for  an  hour's  meditation, 
in  a  study  as  small  as  that  preserved  in  Florence 
at  the  Casa  Buonarotti,  wherein,  sixty  years  later, 
Michael  Angelo  designed.  It  was  large  enough  for 
its  occupant  to  take  three  strides  ;  its  one  window 
looked  upon  the  plain  of  Lombardy.  For  furniture 
there  was  a  single  chair,  some  shelves  piled  with 


112  SFORZA. 

letters  and  records,  and  a  writing-table  whereon 
rested  a  marvellous  cabinet  of  drawers  and  niches 
and  compartments,  divided  by  miniature  columns 
of  cornelian  and  onyx,  and  within  whose  secret 
spaces  the  duke  kept  important  papers.  Opposite 
the  window  was  a  crucifix,  and  beneath  it  a  chro 
nological  tablet  of  the  days  and  months.  To  this 
cosey  retreat  he  habitually  withdrew  when  an  un 
disturbed  morning  of  study  and  reflection  lay  be 
fore  him.  No  one  intruded  upon  his  privacy;  his 
memoranda  and  reports  were  there  ;  and  he  derived 
a  peculiar  mental  comfort  from  his  narrow  peep, 
between  gables  and  chimneys,  upon  the  outer 
world,  where  an  occasional  passer  went  hurrying 
by,  and  where,  on  gusty  afternoons,  he  could  watch 
the  shrivelled  leaves  blown  from  the  ground  and 
carried  upward  and  away,  till  they  disappeared 
like  birds  that  the  eye  can  follow  no  more. 

The  iron-bound  door  of  this  diminutive  retreat 
opened  into  a  gallery  of  arms,  wherein  the  duke 
occasionally  crossed  practice  swords  with  some 
fencing-master,  and  which  was  hung  with  weapons 
and  coats  of  mail,  comprising  his  personal  equip 
ment.  In  the  centre,  mounted  upon  prancing 
wooden  horses,  were  the  gorgeous  historic  suits  of 
his  ducal  ancestors,  dating  from  the  massive  cui 
rass  and  casque  of  Muzio  Attendolo,  his  condotti- 
ere  grandfather.  Along  the  walls  were  the  helmets 
and  breastplates  and  iron  gauntlets,  then  gradu- 


A    PROPHECY   OF  THE  STARS.  113 

ally  falling  into  disfavor,  and  the  arquebuses  and 
pistols  that  Avere  taking  tlieir  pLuce.  At  each  end 
Avas  a  complicated  panoply  of  blades,  from  slen 
der  stilettos  and  broad  hunting-knives,  to  Spanish 
rapiers  and  great  gilded  swords  of  state. 

A  sudden  gathering  of  extreme  dangers  had  dis 
turbed  in  Sforza  that  calm  Avhich  education  and 
long  self-mastery  had  fixed  upon  an  ardent  nature. 
To  an  irresponsible  prince  of  mediaeval  times, 
Avhose  life  and  fortune  Avere  at  stake,  alliances  and 
Avars  Avere  of  more  earnest  import  than  they  some 
times  seem  to  be  to  the  talkative  popular  govern 
ments  of  the  present.  The  usurper  of  Milan  had, 
thus  far,  made  his  wayVith  dexterous  application 
of  the  subtle  precepts  of  Italian  statecraft.  His 
breadth  of  view,  his  discrimination  in  dealing  Avith 
men,  the  depth  and  astuteness  of  his  political  com 
binations,  command  the  admiration  of  contempo 
rary  Avriters,  and,  among  the  Lombard  people,  his 
talents  Avere  for  tAvo  centuries  a  subject  of  legend 
ary  tradition.  But  HOAV  he  stood  Avith  no  ally,  his 
army  was  unnerved  by  a  defeat,  and  in  Milan  pre 
vailed  whispers  of  treason  that  chilled  the  most 
constant. 

In  this  extremity  he  summoned  one  Avho  had 
been  friend  and  counsellor,  and  Avho  imposed  upon 
his  imagination  by  the  possession  of  mysterious 
and  marvellous  gifts.  In  that  superstitious  and 
spirit-haunted  age,  astrology  appeared  before  the 
8 


1U  SFORZA. 

terrors  of  humanity  as  an  interpreter  of  incom 
prehensible  phenomena.  The  most  learned  were 
beguiled  by  arts  which  bewildered  the  senses, 
and  fascinated  with  the  lure  of  a  glimpse  into 
futurity. 

The  duke  had  idled  away  the  afternoon  in  un 
easy  reveries,  now  seated  in  his  little  study,  now 
passing  to  the  library  beyond,  and  watching  from 
an  open  window  for  the  first  appearance  of  the 
stars.  At  length,  unable  to  endure  the  phantasms 
with  which  a  nervous  excitement  filled  his  soli 
tude,  he  despatched  a  page  to  hasten  Almodoro's 
coming. 

The  alchemist  was  found  in  the  laboratory  in 
which  he  pursued  the  fantastic  researches  to 
which  the  votaries  of  occult  science  were  self- 
dedicated,  and  whose  toil  they  prized  above  all 
earthly  pleasure,  each  one  believing  that  he  held  a 
mystic  thread  issuing  from  the  starlight  of  an 
tiquity  and  leading  to  the  dominion  of  the  future. 
This  laboratory  was  a  large,  square  room,  with  a 
vast  oven,  and  shelves  of  manuscript  books,  origi 
nally  copied  from  the  Ptolemaic  rolls  in  the  Alex 
andrian  library,  and  alcoves  crammed  with  odd 
instruments,  and  glass  retorts,  and  drugs,  and  es 
sences,  and  meteoric  stones,  and  uncouth  petrifac 
tions,  such  as  would  have  filled  the  eyes  of  a 
peaceable  citizen  of  that  period  with  wonder.  His 
chief  treasure  was  a  divininar  chart  which  had  come 


.1    P  JIO  PIT  En  T  OF   TITK   STAR*  1  ]  5 

down  from  the  Greek  sorcerers — sole  surviving 
fragment  of  tho  Looks  of  "  them  which  used  curi 
ous  arts,"  whereof  Paul  and  Silas  made  so  famous 
a  bonfire. 

The  alchemists  were  men  of  superior  attain 
ments,  who  possessed  scientific  knowledge  in  ad 
vance  of  their  age.  They  were  apt  mechanics  in 
the  construction  of  philosophic  instruments  ;  they 
must  be  geologists,  botanists,  mineralogists,  chem 
ists,  mathematicians,  and  astronomers.  All  this 
collective  knowledge,  with  the  addition  of  Oriental 
magic  and  astrologic  divination,  they  applied  to 
their  search  for  an  elixir  oi'  perpetual  youth,  and 
for  a  method  of  converting  the  baser  metals  into 
gold. 

Through  the  complex  theories  woven  by  gener 
ations  of  students,  and  across  centuries  of  experi 
ment,  Almodoro  had  patiently  traced  and  retraced 
a  devious  path.  He  had  devoted  years  to  tin 
study  of  magnetism,  and  to  analyzing  the  princi 
ples  of  suspended  animation,  which,  he  supposed, 
could  1)0  infinitely  developed.  In  the  presence  of 
death  he  had  repeatedly  attempted  a  transfer  of 
vitality  from  one  person  to  another,  but  so  exqui 
site  was  the  nicety  required  for  this  performance 
that  on  more  than  one  occasion,  between  fright 
and  collapse,  both  subjects  had  slipped  through 
his  incantations  into  eternity. 

Ludovico    advanced    to    meet    Almodoro    as   he 


116  SFORZA. 

entered  the  library,  and  looked  into  his  fac3  with 
earnest  inquiry. 

"I  have  suffered  a  day  of  torment,"  he  began, 
taking  the  astrologer  abruptly  by  the  arm,  and 
leading  him  to  seats  beside  an  open  window. 

"What  is  amiss?"  queried  the  seer,  with  the 
frank  utterance  of  a  familiar  friend.  "  You  do  not 
doubt  that  I  am  ready  as  ever,  yet  your  impor 
tunities  this  afternoon  indicate  almost  a  mistrust. 
Surely  you  know  that  only  at  certain  conj  auctions 
can  a  forecast  be  made." 

"At  the  worst  I  have  brought  you  here  but  an 
hour  too  soon,  and  I  could  endure  my  unrest  no 
longer." 

"  For  shame  !  he  that  conquers  himself  is  greater 
than  the  Duke  of  Milan.  Only  to  think  that  the 
novitiate  through  which  I  led  you  towards  an  in 
tellectual  sovereignty  more  valuable  than  earthly 
powers  should  prove  thus  futile." 

The  duke's  countenance  fell  at  this  rebuke  from 
a  nature  stronger  than  his  own. 

"  I  have  been  ill,"  he  answered,  "  and  your  in 
genious  formulas  avail  little  to  one  who  lacks  your 
flinty  being.  For  me,  every  circumstance  that  I 
brooded  over  took  on  a  misproportion,  and  made 
me  long  to  know  what  new  signs  must  be  writ 
ten  since  we  deciphered  the  portents  three  years 
ago." 

'•  Take  courage,"  answered  Almodoro,  laving  his 


A    PROPHECY  OF  THE  STARS.  117 

hand  caressingly  upon  Ludovico's  ;  "  it  is  a  trite 
saying  that,  in  this  queer  world,  the  extremity  of 
grief  is  often  the  beginning  of  joy." 

Sforza  clasped  botli  hands  over  his  eyes  as 
though  to  shut  out  some  pursuing  presence  ;  then, 
dashing  them  down,  he  exclaimed  : 

"  It  is  yet  time  to  remedy  all.  If  your  words 
favor  I  shall  leave  in  the  morning  for  Alessandria. 
Let  us  to  the  terrace — is  it  too  soon?  Then, 
while  we  wait,  answer  me  a  question  I  had  in  my 
thoughts  all  day.  You  have  told  me  of  your  wan 
derings  and  of  wondrous  places  and  strange  men. 
Found  you  ever  a  scholar  who  could  trouble  your 
faith  in  your  arts?" 

"  What  childish  words  are  these  ?  The  truths  I 
have  unfolded  to  you  were  true  to  the  Priests  of 
Philae,  to  the  Druids  of  Britain,  to  the  Magi  of 
Atlantis,  as  they  are  to-day  to  the  fev  patient  and 
zealous  students  that  remain." 

"  I  marvel  not  the  alchemists  are  few,"  mur 
mured  Ludovico,  "after  my  own  apprenticeship." 

"For  that  matter,"  replied  Almodoro,  "neither 
do  I.  You  wore  warned  at  the  outset  that  not  one 
ordinary  man  in  a  million  could  survive  even  that 
preliminary  discipline  which  purifies  our  infirm 
bodies  and  leads  the  perfected  spirit  to  that  plane 
where  it  gradually  becomes  superior  to  the  muta 
tions  of  nature.  The  Buddhist  who  has  attained 
this  faculty  has  the  power  of  walking  upon  water 


118  SFORZA. 

or  of  floating  through  the  air  ;  yet  how  trivial  are 
these  vagaries  beside  the  refined  influence  through 
which  the  process  of  natural  decline  is  averted. 
The  alchemist  has  quenched  every  human  passion 
and  attachment.  Only  one  flame  remains,  and  this 
is  a  reflex  of  the  halo  which  encircles  our  mystic 
cabala.  Only  he  who  has  lived  such  a  life  can 
judge  of  its  spiritual  compensations,  its  intimate 
communings  with  secret  principles,  its  fine  per 
ceptions  of  the  mystery  of  its  own  being.  Before 
such  a  one  stretch  infinite  cycles  of  experience  and 
discovery.  He  will  follow  the  growth  of  nations 
and  outlive  them ;  he  will  watch  the  progress  of 
merely  human  learning  and  its  decline  ;  he  will 
see  the  rise  of  new  religions  and  their  decadence. 
And,  borne  irresistibly  onward  by  the  vast  and 
subtle  forces  he  has  conquered,  lie  will  pass  the 
seas  to  the  dominion  of  yet  untrodden  continents, 
and  pluck  from  the  Golden  Indies  of  Columbus 
the  forbidden  attributes  which  the  ancients  sought 
in  vain." 

The  duke  started  from  his  half-recumbent  ease, 
apparently  intending  to  break  in  upon  this  ab 
struse  discourse  with  an  inquiry,  but  the  sooth 
sayer  went  on  without  heeding  : 

"  Nor  can  you  discover  anything  contrary  to 
reason,"  he  continued,  "  in  the  principles  I  taught 
you.  It  is  often  said,  '  Such  a  one  is  old,  but  he 
retains  his  faculties  and  the  vigor  of  his  body.' 


A    PROPHECY  OF  THE  STARS.  119 

There  is  no  greater  marvel  than  that  lie  has  not 
abused  them  by  contradicting  those  simple  rules  of 
longevity,  whose  minute  observance  is  the  alche 
mist's  elementary  lesson.  Fancy  this  habit  multi 
plied  ail  hundredfold  in  the  hourly  enforcement  of 
a  system  both  mental  and  physical,  and  one  of  two 
tilings  results  :  either  the  novice  dies  insane,  or,  if 
the  stars  favored  his  birth  in  an  extraordinary 
degree,  the  functions  of  brain  and  body  may  go  on 
for  centuries.  There  is  a  time  in  life  when  the 
production  and  exhaustion  of  the  body  are  equal, 
•when,  consequently,  there  is  no  loss,  no  diminution. 
The  Chaldeans  began  with  the  inquiry  why  this 
balance  could  not  be  indefinitely  continued  ;  the 
alchemist  has  answered  by  successfully  preserving 
this  subtle  poise  of  his  forces.  And  similarly  it 
has  required  ages  to  discover  that  beyond  all 
human  knowledge,  which  is  but  an  attempt  to 
hide  the  shame  of  ignorance,  the  mind  has  powers 
which,  when  developed,  reveal  the  secrets  of  the 
universe.  So  truly  as  the  transmutation  of  metals 
is  true,  so  certainly  is  perfected  man  capable  of 
renewing  youth.  If  humanity  lives  upon  the  lees 
of  nature,  it  was  none  the  less  our  primeval  des 
tiny  to  be  of  an  unchanging  vitality,  drawing  vigor 
from  the  elements  about  us,  and  no  more  suscepti 
ble  to  decay  than  the  sunlight  or  the  ocean.  At 
first,  when  this  tremendous  possession  is  ours,  we 
seem  to  hold  all  the  powers  of  the  infinite  ;  we 


120  SFORZA. 

learn  to  govern  ourselves  in  proportion  as  we  per 
ceive  that  our  actions  make  and  unmake  our  hap 
piness  We  find  that  their  effect  follows  us  in 
regret  or  in  contentment,  even  through  immortal 
ity  ;  that  it  passes  with  us,  day  by  day,  the  lines 
which  separate  the  present  from  the  infinite  here 
after,  and  from  the  past ;  out  of  the  twilight  of 
bygone  years  come  to  us  the  spectres  of  bad  and 
ignoble  actions.  From  them  we  learn  to  live  as 
men  who  have  risen  above  the  temptation  ef  their 
own  infirmity." 

Ludovico  interrupted  this  discourse  with  a  bit 
ter  laugh. 

"  I  can  so  far  agree  with  you,"  he  said,  "  that 
these  last  days  have  shown  that,  even  in  my  fail 
ure,  there  remains  a  spark  that  can  yet  be  warmed 
to  some  purpose.  You  remember  that  Barbarigo, 
of  Venice,  and  I  were  novices  together  ;  we  took 
the  degree  of  fellowship,  and  assumed  the  obli 
gation  that  binds  your  sect  for  life, — or.  if  you 
prefer,  forever.  We  both  proved  unequal  to  the 
ordeal,  I  thinking  I  should  presently  become  de 
mented,  he  fearing  he  was  to  be  delivered  over 
to  the  devil.  We  both  returned  to  the  common 
place  of  Earth,  but  the  impressions  of  that  extraor 
dinary  schooling  remained,  and  the  oath  which 
bound  us  never  to  do  one  another  a  mischief  con 
tinued.  No  one  could  escape  the  solemnity  with 
which  that  vow  was  assumed,  and  the  fearful  pen- 


.•1    PROPHECY  OF   Till':  XTAR8.  121 

alties  we  each  invoked  if  it  were  broken.  Bar- 
barigo  remembers,  and  is  faithful.  In  my  extrem 
ity  I  adjured  him,  by  the  pledge  of  our  youth, 
to  relieve  me  ;  and  so  nmch  vigor  remains  in  the 
memory  of  that  ghostly  experience  that,  at  the 
risk  of  life,  he  engages  to  halt  the  Venetian  troops 
on  the  frontier.  Hermes  has  just  returned  and 
has  told  me  the  story. — But  come,  we  lose  time  ; 
let  us  to  the  terrace.  If  your  arts  have  value,  you 
shall  this  night  give  me  straightforward  answers." 

The  elevation  upon  which  they  emerged  was  a 
balustraded  roof,  the  approaches  to  which  Ludo- 
vico  bolted  before  following  his  companion. 

"How  long  it  seems,"  he  ejaculated,  as  they 
stood  together,  "  since  we  read  the  heavens ;  'twas 
a  few  wreeks  before  her  death,  well-nigh  three 
years  ago." 

"  You  blamed  me  then — you  blame  me  now— 
for  that  sad  misfortune,"  answered  the  alchemist ; 
"you  would  have  taken  my  head  had  I  not  es 
caped." 

"  I  but  held  you  responsible  for  the  failure  of 
one  of  your  devices." 

"But  I  was  not  responsible  for  a  thing  I  did 
against  my  judgment,  under  the  extreme  pressure 
of  your  wife's  entreaty,  enforced  by  your  own 
command,  llerneniber  all  that  happened,  and  do 
me  justice.  The  child  had  been  born  a  month  ; 
from  the  first  its  life  had  been  prolonged  with  in- 


122  SFORZA. 

finite  pains  from  day  to  day,  almost  from  hour  to 
hour.  Slowly  that  little  spark  had  paled,  till, 
one  night  when  I  was  summoned,  I  saw  that  it 
could  not  survive  till  dawn.  Your  wife  besought 
me  at  any  cost — those  were  her  words — to  save  it. 
You  have  never  known  what  I  did ;  you  would 
listen  to  no  explanation  at  the  time ;  in  a  moment 
of  weakness  I  imparted  to  her  a  secret  of  our 
science — the  prolongation  of  one  life  by  the  sacri 
fice  of  another  ;  to  be  surrendered,  not  merely  vol 
untarily,  but  with  an  intensity  that  translates  its 
very  essence.  She  passed,  at  the  hearing,  from 
despair  to  an  heroic  self-possession  which  I  con 
jured  her  to  preserve.  I  warned  her,  above  all, 
not  to  fear  for  herself.  I  promised  that,  through 
the  watches  of  the  night,  I  would  not  leave  her ; 
that,  at  the  moment  when  the  child  had  received 
the  requisite  vitality,  I  would  arrest  its  flow.  I 
was  a  fool  to  imagine  that  unpurified  humanity 
can  exercise  the  loftiest  acts  of  calm  and  courage. 
An  hour  went  by ;  slowly  the  babe  revived,  as,  by 
an  intense  volition,  the  mother's  life  passed  to  it. 
Then  the  color  faded  from  her  own  face ;  she  be 
came  unconscious — of  a  sudden  I  beheld  the  pal 
lor  of  death.  In  vain  I  essayed  to  suspend  the 
flow  of  animation, — something  baffled  my  efforts, — 
finally  she  opened  her  eyes  and  murmured,  as  one 
who  acknowledges  a  fault :  '  I  did  not  fear,  but  I 
doubted.'  Alas  !  that  doubt  ruined  all ;  there  she 


A    PROPHECY  OF  THE  STARS.  103 

lay  dead,  with  the  infant  asleep  in  her  arms.  My 
failure  was  followed  by  an  instantaneous  relapse 
in  the  child — look  up  yonder,  high  in  the  second 
division,  you  can  see  them  both  together — one 
large  and  bright,  with  a  generous  beam,  the  other 
small  and  twinkling —they  are  there,  mother  and 
child." 

For  these  astrological  calculations  of  old,  the 
firmament  was  conceived  as  an  inverted  dome, 
covered  with  figures,  signs,  and  letters,  through 
whose  shifting  relations  the  master  could  decipher 
past,  present,  and  future.  Almodoro  produced  a 
paper  on  which  were  traced  certain  lines  which 
Ludovico  recognized  to  be  the  magnetic  latitudes 
of  the  three  regions — •Empyrium,  /Ethereum,  and 
Elementary. 

The  wise  man  fixed  his  attention  upon  the  stars, 
occasionally  bending  down  to  trace  upon  the  paper 
a  line,  or  to  make  a  point,  whose  significance  was 
vaguely  guessed  by  his  companion  ;  gradually  it 
grew  to  be  a  chart  of  Sforza's  life  ;  in  its  centre 
a  hieroglyph  bearing  the  date  of  his  birth  ;  and 
every  curve  and  dot  made  by  the  soothsayer  ren 
dered  sufficiently  distinct  by  the  lamplight,  which 
streamed  upon  the  table  from  the  window  behind. 

"  How  marvellous  a  scroll  is  spread  above  us," 
softly  observed  Almodoro,  his  mind  filled  with  the 
zest  of  his  pursuit  ;  "  do  you  remember  my  ex 
plaining  the  indications  of  the  freaks  of  destiny  ? 


124  SFORZA. 

Behold  how  salient  they  are  to-night ;  yonder 
there  is  a  beautiful  girl  in  the  promise  of  life — 
see,  she  is  about  to  be  clutched  by  a  disease  that 
hovers  near ;  to  the  right  a  stalwart  cavalier, 
with  seemingly  brilliant  future,  will  be  cut  down 
in  some  paltry  skirmish  to-morrow  ;  and,  stranger 
than  these,  mark  you  there,  low  on  the  horizon, 
that  lengthening  line, — those  are  lives  whose  drift 
is  aimless  and  which  rust  on  in  sloth.  Seems 
it  not  strange  that  one  should  find,  written 
among  the  stars,  even  the  ignoble  caprices  of 
Fate?" 

"  Be  these  trifles  as  you  please,  let  us  to  our 
purpose." 

"  There  is  but  one  serious  change  :  all  is  much 
as  we  found  it  three  years  ago,  except  for  a  great 
and  newly  declared  peril ;  follow  me  on  this  chart 
and  read  for  yourself.  The  line  of  your  life  begins 
on  the  ascendant ;  in  early  manhood  comes  a 
crisis ;  the  line  is  violently  agitated ;  all  this  marks 
the  first  accession  ;  here  comes  again  an  extreme 
peril." 

"  Well,  and  after  that  ?  " 

"  The  line  begins  a  long,  undeviating  course." 

"  All  this  means  that  I  stand  in  imminent  dan 
ger  ;  that,  if  I  escape,  I  have  a  long  -future  before 
me '? " 

"Yes,  a  dozen  years  at  least." 

"Will  they  be  prosperous  years  ?  " 


A    PROPHECY  OF  THE  STARS.  125 

"  They  bear  an  aspect  of  great  calm,  as  though 
little  troubled  by  the  world." 

"  Give  me  no  Delphic  utterance ;  shall  I  go  to 
Alessandria  to-morrow  ?  " 

"  It  is  unsafe  to  approach  a  battlefield." 

"  But  is  the  danger  one  that  belongs  to  a  battle 
field  ?  " 

"  It  is  obviously  connected  with  the  present 
war." 

"  But  I  may  be  assassinated  during  the  present 
war." 

"That  would  still  come  under  the  portent  of 
arms  and  the  shock  of  battle,  all  which  is  plain  to 
see." 

"  How  ends  the  battle  plain  to  see — is  it  a  vic 
tory  or  a  defeat  ?  " 

"  It  begins  auspiciously ;  at  its  conclusion  I 
behold  you  standing  with  several  French  officers 
in  view — perhaps  the  captive  chiefs  of  the  enemy." 

"  lo  trin mpliG  !"  cried  the  duke,  raising  his 
hands  in  exultation.  "  Methinks  I  see  the  rene 
gade  Trivulzio  before  me.  But  hark  ye,  Almo- 
doro,  your  forecast  is  unusually  hedged  about  with 
doubts.  Cannot  the  stars  be  made  to  tell  an  un 
equivocal  tale  ?  " 

"  Ludovico,  I  tell  you  what  I  read  and  the  infer 
ences  to  be  drawn;  to  do  more  we  must  resort  to 
that  for  which  I  know  your  aversion, — we  must 
summon  a  familiar." 


126  SFORZA. 

"  What !  conjure  up  a  lesser  devil,  and  bid  him 
speak  the  truth  ?  " 

"  I  did  not  say  a  devil  ;  I  mean  a  benignant  pres 
ence." 

"I  have  not  known  a  benignant  presence  since 
Beatrice  died.  Had  you  power  to  bring  her  spirit 
into  communion  with  mine,  I  might  receive  some 
admonition." 

"  Then  let  us  return  within,  for  our  task  here  is 
accomplished,  and  you  are  weary." 

"  I  once  sought  in  vain,"  said  Sforza,  after  they 
had  seated  themselves  in  the  library,  "  to  see  a 
well-known  spirit.  I  rested  a  night,  some  years 
ago,  at  the  castle  of  Rimini,  and,  after  supper,  we 
talked  of  Francesca  ;  and  one  present,  who  was 
a  scholar,  repeated  the  lines  wherein  Dante  de 
scribes  her  spectre  floating  through  realms  of  twi 
light,  till,  as  the  evening  wore  on,  I  went  out  to 
breathe  the  crisp  air.  From  the  gate  leads  a 
promenade  along  which  Francesca  and  Paolo  may 
have  passed  in  the  old  romantic  days  ;  and  within 
a  half  circle  of  venerable  trees  is  a  stone  bench, 
covered  with  lichens,  upon  which  they  may  have 
read  together  the  idyl  of  Launcelot  and  Guine 
vere.  I  found  myself  possessed  by  the  mystic  in 
fluence  which  tradition  weaves  about  the  place  ; 
you  may  say  that  it  was  but  the  transition  to  the 
midwinter  gloom  of  the  hedgerows  from  the  great 
wood-fire  that  blazed  in  our  dining-hall  ;  but  when 


A    PROPIIKCY  OF  THE  STARS.  1^7 

something  sighed  in  the  branches,  and  an  owl  flew 
hooting  away.  I  fully  belieyecl  I  should  behold 

\j   *  it 

Fraucesca  and  her  lover  revisiting  the  scene  which 
memory  makes  dear  to  them  forever." 

As  the  duke  spoke  he  became  conscious  of  a 
slight  oppression ;  he  looked  towards  Almodoro 
and  beheld  the  alchemist's  gaze  fixed  intently  upon 
him.  Then  Ludovico's  eves  closed,  and  in  fancy 
he  beheld  the  broad  garden  by  the  Adriatic,  where, 
concealed  in  an  arbor,  he  had  waited  and  watched 
one  day,  eight  years  ago,  for  the  first  glimpse  of 
the  maiden  Beatrice,  his  bride  that  was  to  be,  who, 
all  unconscious  of  his  presence,  should  presently 
stroll  down  the  walk. 

An  enchanted  vision  recalled  the  slumbrous 
stretch  of  the  amaranth-tinted  sea,  and  the  olives 
that  bent  above  him,  and  the  flowering  vines  that 
crept  to  their  branches. 

And,  as  on  that  day  when  first  he  beheld  her, 
she  appeared, — a  tall,  graceful  figure,  with  pensive 
face  and  lustrous  eyes, — unchanged  and  beautiful 
as  ever.  He  heard  the  rustle  of  her  lilac  satin 
gown,  and  noticed  the  head-dress  of  her  girlhood, 
the  pointed  crimson  beretta,  with  gauze  floating 
behind,  the  tight,  golden  sleeves  of  her  dress,  the 
chatelaine  suspended  at  her  girdle,  and  the  bunch 
of  honeysuckle  unfaded  in  her  hand  after  all  these 
years. 

It  was  an  apparition  that,  even  in  his  dream, 


128  SFORZA. 

thrilled  Ludovico  as  deeply  as  on  that  well-remem 
bered"  day.  But  now  he  watched  for  some  endear 
ing  sign,  or  some  prophetic  utterance,  for  the  eyes 
met  his  with  wistful  and  intense  desire.  But  the 
figure  vanished  with  no  other  token  than  that  elo 
quent  gaze,  and  Ludovico  awoke  and  beheld  Alnao- 
doro.  The  duke  was  still  blinded  by  the  dazzling 
splendor  of  that  southern  sea,  and  the  smell  of 
spectral  orange  blossoms  lingered  in  his  nostrils 
as  he  exclaimed  : 

"  O  Almodoro,  I  have  seen  Beatrice  !  and  there 
was  a  gentle  melancholy  upon  her  face,  and  she 
looked  upon  me  fixedly,  as  though  her  heart  were 
bursting  to  speak ;  but  she  passed  in  silence,  with 
out  sign  or  token, — and  often  have  I  heard  you 
say  that  this  portends  some  great,  some  terrible 
misfortune !  " 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

A    HEVELATION. 

THE  Italian  of  four  centuries  ago  lived  under  in 
fluences  widely  different  from  those  which  mould 
his  voluble  descendant.  In  the  midst  of  a  graceful 
and  cultivated  civilization  blazed  feuds  and  strifes 
whose  alarms  and  sufferings  were  the  common 
place  features  of  existence.  Often  confronted  by 
stirring  and  tragic  events,  and  free  from  the  acces 
sories  and  distractions  of  modern  ease,  people  were 
less  given  to  reading  and  talking  than  to  thought 
and  action.  In  the  Middle  Ages  men  and  women 
faced  danger  frequently,  and  learned  not  merely  to 
confront  it  with  self-command,  but  to  pluck  some 
ingenious  resource  even  from  desperation  itself. 
Hence  grew  those  habits  of  reticence,  of  self- 
restraint,  of  dissimulation,  which  speak  from  the 
intent,  watchful,  furtive  portraits  of  the  Quattro 
Cento. 

Amid  the  whirl  of  such  swift  achievement  and 
sudden  reverse  as  fill  the  pages  of  mediaeval  his 
tory,  had  Bernardino  Corto  passed  his  life.  Tho 
contemplation  of  one  idea  in  many  aspects  had 
made  him  reserved  and  abstracted.  He  had  mused 
9 


130  SFOBZA. 

upon  the  decline  of  the  Visconti,  and  their  suc 
cession  by  the  upstart  Sforza  in  Milan  ;  he  had 
watched  the  creation  of  little  states  along  the 
Adriatic ;  he  had  seen  how  individuals  swayed  the 
Guelph  and  Ghibelline  masses  at  Florence ;  he 
had  laughed  to  observe  at  Rome  the  humblest 
condottiere  captains  acquiring  vast  possessions, 
and  converting  their  sobriquets  to  patrician- 
sounding  names.  And,  consumed  by  that  van 
ity  which  sometimes  stirs  mediocrity  to  reckless 
deeds,  he  sought  the  chance  to  carve  a  soldier's 
fortune.  In  the  impending  collapse  of  the  House 
of  Sforza  he  recognized  his  opportunity,  and 
promised  himself  to  rise  from  the  vortex  upon  his 
master's  shoulders.  Inseparably  linked  with  his 
political  aims  was  the  wild  aspiration  to  win  the 
imprisoned  duchess,  and,  by  a  marriage  with  this 
daughter  of  royalty,  to  attain  a  pinnacle  equal  to 
the  loftiest  dream. 

The  transition  had  not  been  difficult  from  the 
inspection  of  a  captive  to  an  impulsive  sympa 
thy,  and  thence  to  an  occasional  visit,  when  the 
governor  would  beguile  an  hour  in  telling  of  his 
wondrous  travels  in  the  Levant,  of  the  doings  in 
Milan,  of  the  painters  and  writers  whose  names 
were  becoming  famous,  of  his  own  dabblings  at 
authorship ;  how  a  companionship  formed  itself 
between  him  and  his  characters  ;  how  he  thought 
for  them,  spoke  for  them,  shaped  their  actions, 


A   REVELATION.  131 

and,  in  fancy,  shared  their  peril  and  measured 
the  temptation  of  their  love.  Or,  again,  lie  talked 
of  music,  of  the  latest  barcarole  of  the  Venetian 
gondoliers,  and  he  would  take  the  liite  which 
rested  against  the  wall,  and,  after  some  tuning  of 
the  unused  strings,  touch  them  in  vibrating  swell 
of  full  accords,  and  sing,  till,  for  an  instant,  Isa- 
belle  forgot  her  sorrows,  and  strayed,  where  the 
song  led,  down  the  long  walk  of  some  romantic 
glade,  or  out  upon  the  Adriatic,  amid  the  sparkle 
of  the  sunshine  and  the  sea. 

Accustomed  as  the  duchess  had  been  to  the  fas 
cination  exercised  by  the  witchery  of  her  presence, 
she  was  not  slow  to  divine  the  motive  of  these  ad 
vances.  In  the  first  discouragement  of  evil  days 
she  repelled  them  with  aversion,  but,  as  months 
went  by,  the  thought  repeated  itself  that,  under 
Ludovico,  the  governor  was  supreme  in  the  castle; 
that  the  future  might  bring  political  vicissitudes; 
that,  with  better  fortune  and  a  pliant  jailer,  es 
cape  might  be  achieved  and  the  sceptre  recovered. 

After  several  years  the  changes  for  which  jailer 
and  captive  had  watched  with  the  same  envious 
longing,  though  from  different  points  of  view,  had 
come.  And  now  that  the  imminent  overthrow  of 
Ludovico  marked  the  hour  for  the  unfolding  of  his 
designs,  Bernardino  sought  the  duchess  one  even 
ing,  in  the  determination  to  make  their  interview 
decisive.  He  was  conscious  that  never  before  had 


132  8FORZA. 

so  delicate  a  task  confronted  him,  but  the  ardor 
of  his  infatuation  was  stimulated  by  the  very  dis 
tance  that  held  them  apart.  Often  in  bygone  days 
he  had  paced  the  starlit  streets,  meditating  upon 
the  obduracy  which  met  every  advance ;  but  to 
night  he  nerved  himself  with  the  boast,  familiar  to 
such  meditations,  that  he  never  yet  had  failed  in 
any  purpose  to  which  the  effort  of  his  undivided 
powers  had  been  applied. 

The  duchess  received  the  governor  with  a 
kindly  greeting  at  varianc-e  with  her  habitual  in 
difference.  She  rose  with  the  satisfaction  of  one 
who  meets  an  expected  friend,  and  Bernardino  be 
held,  with  wonder,  that  she  had  put  off  her  som 
bre  robes  of  mourning.  He  paused,  cap  in  hand, 
an  involuntary  instant,  seeking,  in  that  moment's 
pause,  to  read  the  meaning  of  that  smiling  calm ; 
the  words  framed  in  salutation  faltered,  and  he 
remained  gazing  steadfastly  upon  the  woman  he 
loved,  in  her  resplendent  attire,  and  wearing  above 
the  heavy  braids  of  her  hair  the  coveted  ducal 
fillet  of  gold. 

"  Your  startled  look  is  a  rebuke  upon  me  for 
these  changed  garments,"  she  said,  with  sweet, 
musical  utterance;  "I  know  not  why  I  have  put 
ou  again  this  sad,  old,  faded  gown;  it  must  have 
been  caprice,  or  perhaps  the  pulse  of  a  hope  for  the 
future,  the  first  hope, — oh,  be  it  not  my  last !  But 
draw  near,  wish  me  good-evening,  and  be  seated." 


A   REVELATION.  133 

The  governor  advanced,  raised  to  his  lips  the 
hand  she  extended,  and  said  with  hesitation,  "  I 
come  to  speak  upon  matters  we  have  somewhat 
talked  of,— the  times  are  so  ominous,  and  the  new^s 
so  bad — 

'•  The  news  so  bad  !  what  is  the  news  ?  " 

"I   cannot   iniess  how   much  knowledge   of  the 

o  o 

war  has  reached  you,  but — 

"  I  know  all ;  what  then  ?  " 

"  The  latest  despatch  from  the  front  is  couched  in 
such  terms,"  answered  the  governor  very  slowly, 
and  observing  her  intently,  as  though  to  measure 
the  effect  his  next  words  would  produce,  "that 
one  might  almost  assume  it  equal  to  a  declaration 
that  everything  is  lost." 

The  duchess  listened  with  eyes  brimming,  and 
with  lips  trembling  with  emotion,  as  one  o'ercome 
with  joy. 

"  Then  God  has  heard  the  supplications  of  my 
despair,"  she  murmured,  "  and  I  am  saved  !  " 

The  governor  bent  compassionately  over  her, 
and  ventured  to  lay  his  hand  upon  hers  as  he 
whispered  : 

"  Our  time  is  brief,  -too  brief  for  tears  or  use 
less  words  ;  a  great  crisis  has  burst  upon  us,  and 
it  may  present  such  an  opportunity  as  comes  but 
once  in  a  lifetime  ;  but  for  the  moment  we  must 
think  of  your  safety,  and  your  boy's." 

Isabelle    looked    up    in    feigned    astonishment. 


134  SFORZA. 

"  What  possible  danger  threatens  here  ? "  she 
asked. 

"  It  requires  courage  nothing  less  than  sublime," 
answered  the  governor,  with  eyes  fixed  intently 
upon  the  inquiring  face  uplifted  to  him,  and 
speaking  with  a  tinge  of  sarcasm,  "  to  watch  the 
approach  of  extreme  peril  with  so  much  noncha 
lance.  Or  is  it,  perhaps,  a  child's  heedlessness, 
which  fears  not  because  it  does  not  understand  ?  " 

"  Are  you  serious  in  these  alarms  ?  "  exclaimed 
the  duchess.  "  If  so,  speak  plainly,  I  beseech 
you  ;  and,  as  becomes  a  brave  woman,  I  will  listen 
to  the  worst." 

"It  is  fortunate,"  replied  Bernardino,  "that  in 
me  you  have  a  friend  equal  to  any  emergency. 
"  Hark,  what  is  this  ? — some  one  comes  !  " 

The  door  of  the  adjoining  room  flew  wide  open 
as  he  spoke ;  and  the  boy  Francesco,  unconscious 
of  the  governor's  presence,  danced  in,  followed  by  a 
dog,  about  whose  ears  he  had  bound  a  handkerchief. 

"  See !  "  exclaimed  the  child  gleefully,  "  he  has 
on  his  nightcap,  it  is  bedtime  for  us  both." 

'•  How  well  you  love  your  four-legged  playmate," 
said  Bernardino,  catching  the  child  for  an  instant. 

"He  never  scolds  me,"  replied  Francesco,  ex 
plaining  his  affection  as  he  watched  the  animal's 
efforts  to  clear  itself. 

"  And  will  you  always  be  happy  together  in  this 
castle, — you  and  your  dog  ?  " 


A   REVELATION.  135 

"While  I  am  a  boy,  yes,"  replied  Francesco 
dubiously. 

"  Then  a  time  may  come  when  you  will  be  glad 
to  leave  us  ?  " 

"  To  be  sure,  when  I  am  a  man ;  for  then  I  shall 
be  Duke  of  Milan." 

"  Who  says  you  will  be  Duke  of  Milan  ?  " 

"  Mamma  and  my  nurse." 

"  J3ut  your  good  uncle-— is  not  he  Duke  of 
Milan?" 

"  I  hate  him,"  savagely  answered  the  child,  dis 
engaging  himself.  "  I  hate  you  too,"  he  added 
with  rising  color ;  "  some  day  I  will  cut  off  both 
your  heads!  " 

"  Venomous  little  brute  !  "  thought  Bernardino. 
Then,  turning  to  the  duchess,  with  a  smile,  he  said, 
"  Your  son  has  your  own  magnificent  spirit,  but, 
long  before  he  puts  these  heroic  resolves  into 
action,  he  will  have  learned  to  distinguish  those 
who  wish  him  well."  The  door  slammed  violently 
as  he  spoke, — the  boy  and  his  favorite  had  taken 
unceremonious  leave.  The  duchess  heeded  not 
his  words,  but  returned  to  the  point  at  which 
their  talk  had  been  interrupted.  "Tell  me  some 
thing,"  she  said,  "  of  the  danger  whereof  you  began 
to  speak." 

"  If  I  understand  that  question  aright,  it  means 
that  you  ask  my  confidence." 

The  duchess  bowed  her  head  without  speaking. 


136  SFORZA. 

"  In  exchange  for  your  own,"  pursued  Bernardino. 
"  In  exchange  for  mine,"  assented  Isabelle  sim- 


"  You  say  you  know  all  ;  then  you  have  been 
told  of  the  massacre  at  Aenone." 

"  Every  one  but  yourself  has  been  talking  of  it 
these  last  five  days.  " 

"  You  have  heard  that  a  panic  seized  upon  the 
Italians  at  Alessandria,  that  the  troops  believed 
themselves  sold  and  became  mutinous.  And 
lastly  comes  a  despatch  that  Sanseverino,  unable 
to  maintain  his  authority,  and  fearing  his  own 
soldiers  more  than  those  of  King  Louis,  fled  for 
his  life,  abandoning  the  army,  whereupon  followed 
a  great  confusion  between  those  wrho  would  fight, 
others  eager  to  yield,  and  all  hurrying  this  way 
and  that." 

Isabelle  had  listened  to  the  last  sentence  with 
breathless  interest  ;  she  bent  forward  as  Bernar 
dino  finished,  and  asked  softly  : 

"  And  what  says  Ludovico  to  all  this  ?  " 

"He  is  silent  and  moody,  —  consumed,  as  it  were, 
by  his  own  thoughts." 

"  But  you  share  his  thoughts,"  insisted  the 
duchess,  with  earnestness  and  with  coquettish  in 
sinuation  ;  "  what  are  they  ?  " 

"  I  know  only  what  all  know,  —  that  to-morrow 
the  great  personages  of  Milan  are  to  assemble  in 
the  Hall  of  the  Signoria,  where  Ludovico  will  ex- 


A   REVELATION.  137 

plain  his  administration  and  appeal  to  the  citizens 
to  stand  by  him." 

Isabelle's  face  clouded  with  disappointment.  "I 
thought  you  more  generous,"  she  said  reproach 
fully,  "  towards  a  friend  whom  you  declare  you 
esteem,  and  in  whom  you  know  you  can  confide." 

The  governor  shrugged  his  shoulders  in  vexed 
impatience  at  this  reproach.  But,  on  the  instant, 
he  checked  his  irritation  and  answered  with  un 
ruffled  composure. 

"You  do  me  injustice,"  he  began;  "you  blame 
me  for  not  knowing  what  cannot  be  divined;  you 
take  as  nothing  the  indulgences  by  which  you 
proiit,  each  one  of  which  is  a  breach  of  duty  in  me, 
and  some  whereof,  were  they  detected,  would  im 
peril  my  life  ;  you  tolerate  my  presence  as  one  en 
dures  an  unavoidable  intrusion  ;  you  do  not  even 
give  me  credit  for  magnanimity,  in  that  I  do  not 
thrust  upon  you  the  words  and  the  tokens  of  a 
passion  that  is  breaking  my  heart." 

The  duchess  laughed  sardonically  in  his  face. 
"  A  line  suitor ! "  she  cried  bitterly,  "  who  leaves  his 
darling  in  a  dungeon  to  suffer  insult  and  privation. 
Listen,"  she  added,  dropping  her  voice  to  a  tone 
of  infinite  tenderness,  and  fixing  upon  him  the  ap 
pealing  look  of  her  Italian  eyes  ;  "if  I  were  a  man 
in  your  station,  and  loved  a  friendless  and  afflicted 
woman,  I  would  hazard  all  to  rescue  her  from  the 
cruelty  of  her  enemies  ;  and,  though  I  died  for  it, 


138  SFORZA. 

I  should  feel  reward  in  the  knowledge  that  she 
could  never  after  think  of  me  without  an  emotion 
that  would  be  somewhat  akin  to  mine  for  her." 

"  That  were  cold  comfort  to  a  man  in  his  grave." 

"  You  cut  a  sorry  figure  with  your  fears  for  your 
self  and  your  empty  words  for  me." 

•'Were  this  visit  known  to  the  duke,  I  should 
have  good  reason  to  fear,  and  if  these  empty  words 
of  ours  could  reach  his  ears,  neither  of  us  would 
live  to  see  to-morrow's  sun." 

"Yet  you  can  stand  motionless  in  your  owrn 
peril,  and  leave  me  helpless  in  mine.  What  shall 
I  think  of  a  man  whom  neither  fear  nor  love  can 
move  ?  " 

Stung  to  the  quick  by  this  retort,  the  governor 
entered  at  once  upon  the  ruse  with  which  he  had 
prepared  himself.  The  duchess,  after  her  last 
reply,  had  moved  from  him  to  the  end  of  the* 
room.  The  Avindows  were  open,  the  night  was  still, 
the  warm  air  bore  in  a  vague  sweetness  of  summer 
perfumes  ;  they  were  alone,  none  could  hear  or  in 
terrupt,  and  Bernardino,  with  brain  on  fire,  nerved 
himself  for  the  moment  which  should  shape  his  life. 

He  began  abruptly,  in  a  tone  of  nervous  excite 
ment.  "Isabelle!"  he  exclaimed,  addressing  her 
for  the  first  time  by  name,  "  this  impossible  situa 
tion  must  cease.  I  have  come  to-night  to  end  it. 
I  must  speak,  however  briefly,  of  what  you  would 
not  hear ;  if  what  I  say  displeases  you,  if  you  heed 


A   REVELATION.  139 

not  my  warning,  I  shall  receive  my  final  sentence 
without  demur,  and  leave  3*011  to  your  fate." 

The  duchess  faced  him  with  calm  deliberation, 
and,  as  he  framed  his  next  words,  he  thought  her 
more  beautiful  than  ever  before,  but  colder  than 
Diana,  as  she  stood  there  listening,  attentive,  un 
ruffled. 

"You  have  been  to  me  an  ideal,"  he  began,  "at 
the  same  time  that  your  misfortune  and  your  grief 
appealed  to  me  as  they  must  have  touched  the 
compassion  of  any  man  who  had  known  your  sor 
row,  or  seen  you  helpless  and  forsaken.  Such  a 
passion  as  neither  strength  can  master,  nor  absence 
change,  nor  disdain  extinguish,  grew  within  me.  I 
bore  my  burden  two  years  in  silence.  One  after 
noon  that  I  came  in  from  the  joyous  sunshine  and 
the  exuberant  happiness  of  the  flowering  fields, 
your  sadness,  your  tears,  your  apprehensions 
moved  me  beyond  the  repression  I  had  imposed 
upon  myself.  I  spoke,  less  as  a  lover  than  as  a 
friend— and  you  banished  me.  My  love  was  hope 
less  :  you  clung  to  the  thought  of  one  whose  affec 
tion  and  whose  memory  were  consecrated  by  the 
tribulations  you  had  shared  together,  and  by  the 
solemn  parting  of  his  last  hour.  And  yet  the  un 
worthy  thought  comforted  me  that,  with  your  hus 
band  dead,  and  yourself  in  the  grasp  of  a  relent 
less  enemy,  without  a  soul  to  appeal  to  but  your 
confessor  and  myself,  you  would  be  reduced  to 


140  8FORZA. 

the  extremity  of  despair,  and  that  I  should  be  re 
called.  Months  passed — an  explanation  followed, 
and  from  that  time  you  have  tolerated  my  presence  ; 
nay,  in  my  musings  upon  the  theme  never  out  of 
iny  thoughts,  I  have  discovered  signs  that  you  are 
not  wholly  averse  to  me ;  that  but  for  the  empty 
memory  you  live  for,  and  without  the  difference  in 
our  station,  your  heart  and  your  soul  would  speak 
in  answer  to  mine.  And  now,  in  the  gathering  of 
strange  and  terrible  events,  it  is  time  to  determine 
whether  you  value  my  love,  or  if  you  think  to  trifle 
with  it  in  a  way  dangerous  to  us  both." 

"  Dangerous !  "  ejaculated  the  duchess  incredu 
lously  ;  "  that  is  a  forbidding  argument  with  which 
to  ingratiate  yourself." 

"  Dangerous  !  "  hissed  the  governor,  made  furi 
ous  by  her  quiet  disdain, — "  fatal  you  will  find  it  if 
you  spurn  me  again." 

"  What  mean  these  dark  croakings  ?  " 

"  That  Ludovico  never  yet  gave  warning  where 
or  when  he  strikes.  Ah  !  you  begin  to  understand 
—you  can  at  length  be  made  to  see  that  your  own 
destinv  lianas  by  his." 

•J  O  •/ 

"  Think  you  Sforza  would  dare  harm  me  or  Fran- 
ceschino,  when  the  French  are  about  to  take  him 
by  the  throat?" 

"  Alas  !  what  avails  revenge  to  the  dead  ?  " 
"  The  dead !  heart  of  a  fiend  that  you  have,  to 
torment  me  thus  !  " 


A    REVELATION.  141 

"  That  which  has  been  done  before  can  be  done 
again,"  answered  Bernardino,  launching  his  long- 
moditatod  shaft.  '"What  availed  the  French  to 
your  husband,  living  or  dead?  did  they  even  notice 
his  death,  or  the  manner  of  it?  " 

'"What  means?  —  AVhy  look  you  thus?  One 
would  think  you  meant " 

"  Yes,  I  do  moan  it." 

"  That  Galeazzo  died  poisoned  !  and  it  was  you 
that  suffered  so  vile  an  infamy  to  be  accomplished, 
and  you  dare  to  come  to  me  and  talk  of  it  ill  the 
same  breath  you  declare  your  love  !  " 

A  silence  fell  upon  them.  The  duchess  stood 
with  face  averted,  with  lips  convulsed,  with  moist 
ened  eyes,  with  ringers  clenched  in  her  handker 
chief.  The  governor  observed  her  attentively, 
considering  the  effect  of  the  stroke  upon  which  all 
depended. 

"If  the  memory  of  an  infinite  wrong  cannot  stir 
you  to  more  than  tears,"  lie  said,  stepping  close  to 
her,  ''  surely  the  sense  of  a  mortal  dang.'1!'  to  your 
child  will  arouse  you.  It  is  strange  if  you  knew 
not  what  I  have  told  you — that  (mleax/o  died  at 
his  uncle's  command.  That  you  blame  me  for  his 
death  is  saying  that  you  hold  the  absent  responsi 
ble  for  what  is  done  without  their  knowledge.  But 
after  all  was  over,  I  heard  the  circumstances  of 
Galeazzo's  end  ;  I  was  told  of  the  suddenness  of 
the  attack,  of  the  cramps  that  baffled  the  leech  you 


142  SFORZA. 

had  summoned,  of  the  sweat  that  bedewed  his  face 
as  it  flushed  and  paled  alternately.  That  his  death 
removed  the  last  obstruction  in  Ludovico's  path 
to  the  throne  awakened  the  suspicion  of  many ; 
crushed,  persecuted,  imprisoned  as  you  were,  you 
heard  not  the  murmur  of  execration  that  rose  from 
the  populace.  The  usurper  had  held  the  sceptre 
as  regent ;  now  he  sought  the  coronet  for  himself. 
One  evening,  in  conference  with  the  duke,  I  hinted 
at  the  taking  off  of  Galeazzo  as  a  secret  I  had 
readily  divined,  and  he  started,  then  looked  grave, 
and  answered,  '  Necessity  constrained  me.'  Since 
that  night  I  have  led  him  to  speak  of  the  details 
of  his  crime,  how  Landriano  urged  its  commission, 
and  how  a  juggling  conjurer  named  Almodoro  pre 
pared  the  fatal  drug.  You  know  not  the  name  of 
Almodoro,  the  duke's  incessant  companion  ?  then 
to-morrow  ask  your  confessor  what  he  thinks  of 
him,  and,  when  you  hear  his  answer,  bear  this  in 
mind  :  that,  his  task  accomplished,  the  magician 
vanished  and  has  not  been  seen  in  the  flesh  from 
that  time  until  a  week  ago ;  and  why,  think  you, 
should  he  have  returned  from  his  remote  hiding- 
place  among  the  oriental  masters  of  the  black  art, 
had  not  Ludovico  summoned  him  for  a  second  ser 
vice, — he  who  did  the  first  so  well.  Be  warned  in 
time.  If  Ludovico  dared  not  put  an  end  to  three 
together,  now,  after  a  lapse  of  years,  he  will  make 
bold  to  send  the  two  that  remain  after  the  first. 


A   REVELATION.  143 

The  dreadful  end  of  Galeazzo  gathers  about  you 
and  your  child,  aud  I,  alone,  can  save  you  both." 

With  that  intensity  of  volition  possible  to  strong 
natures,  the  duchess  stifled  the  emotion  of  so  vio 
lent  a  shock  and  turned  to  listen. 

Bernardino  continued  with  increasing  agitation. 
"Consent  to  be  mine,"  lie  said,  "to  share  the 
future  with  me,  and  you  shall  have  a  revenge  so 
complete,  that,  from  the  ruin  of  Ludovico  Sforza, 
we  shall  raise  ourselves  together  to  power  and  to 
the;  honors  that  should  be  yours,  and  when  that 
much  is  readied  my  crime  will  be  forgotten,  and 
the  Church  will  bestow  its  benediction  upon  us  as 
man  and  wife.  ' 

"Your  crime?"  whispered  the  duchess,  intent 
upon  his  words. 

"Listen,"  pursued  the  governor,  grown  very 
pale,  and  speaking  fast  and  low,  as  though  to 
hasten  through  the  mention  of  the  infamy  he  had 
imagined. 

"  To  me  will  be  entrusted  this  castle,  whose  ram 
parts  and  whose  treasures  are  now  the  last  sup 
port  that  remain  to  Ludovico.  If  he  hide  within 
its  shelter,  he  shall  perish  by  my  hand ;  if  he  fly, 
leaving  me  here  to  defend  it,  I  will  proclaim  you 
duchess,  and  no  foothold  will  remain  to  him  in 
Italy." 

"If  you  save  me  and  set  me  free,"  answered 
Isabelle,  "  you  shall  have  great  reward  ;  if  you  can 


144  SFORZA. 

persuade  the  French  to  restore  Francesco,  you 
shall  name  your  own  honors  ;  but  our  fates  are 
not  the  same,  nor  can  they  be  happily  joined." 

"  It  shall  be  that  or  nothing.  I  know  what  is  in 
your  thoughts  ;  you  are  saying  to  yourself,  the 
daughter  of  a  king  weds  not  with  the  governor  of  a 
fortress.  Do  you  then  take  no  heed  of  the  strange 
ups  and  downs  that  fill  our  time  ?  Have  you  for 
gotten  how  the  talents  of  the  first  Sforza  lifted 
him  to  the  place  of  the  effete  Visconti  ?  So  shall  I, 
with  a  single  le-ip,  rise  above  the  remnants  of  your 
house  and  make  your  dukedom  mine.  You  know 
me  not  yet,  nor  do  you  measure  the  intensity  of 
my  nature.  All  my  life  I  have  followed  few  and 
simple  aims,  but  I  have  always  known  my  own 
purpose  clearly,  and  that  is  a  source  of  infinite 
strength.  And  I  have  loved  but  once — you,  only 
you  — and  such  love  has  an  earnestness  and  an 
endurance  and  a  purity  that  no  woman  can  wholly 
withstand.  Now,  answer,  will  you  and  your  child 
take  the  torment  of  Galeazzo's  last  hour  from  your 
enemy,  or  will  you  share  my  fortune  and  my  crime 
with  me  ?  " 

Isabelle's  eyes  fell  at  this  question,  and  the 
answer  demanded  came  not.  Bernardino  marked 
her  irresolution,  and,  thinking  her  resistance  ex 
hausted,  or  her  judgment  overtempted,  exclaimed 
passionately:  "Speak! — choose  between  death 
and  Milan !  "  And  at  the  words  the  duchess 


A    REVELATION.  145 

bowed  her  head  in  assent  and  answered  faintly, 
with  the  constraint  of  one  who  is  forced  to  a  deci 
sion  : 

"  Since  life  is  at  stake,  and  since  nothing  less 
than  the  sacrifice  of  myself  can  save  my  child — 
be  it  as  yon  require.  But,"  she  added,  looking 
suddenly  up  with  face  changed  from  white  to  crim 
son,  "you  shall  perform  your  task  to  the  end  be 
fore  I  see  you  again.  When  Ludovico  is  dead,  or 
a  fugitive,  and  this  castle  yours,  come  hither  ;  and 
then,  whatever  the  French  king  reserves  for  me 
shall  bo  equally  yours  and  mine." 

He  sprang  toward  her  at  the  word  with  out 
stretched  arms,  as  if  to  snatch  an  embrace  from 
the  lips  that  promised  surrender ;  but  with  an  im 
perious  gesture  she  stopped  him. 

"  Hark  !  "  she  said  softly,  pointing  to  the  open 
window,  "  hear  you  not  from  afar  the  watchman's 
cry  ?  he  calls  the  hours  and  adds,  '  All's  well !  '  O 
Bernardino,  may  that  prove  an  omen  of  our  future, 
and  when  all  this  is  done,  may  we  look  into  one 
another's  eyes  and  say  -all's  well." 

The,  governor  assented  with  a  smile  ;  then,  with 
one  swift,  eloquent  look  upon  her,  left  the  room, 
and,  as  the  door  closed  after  him,  he  drew  a  long, 
deep  sigh  of  nervous  excitement,  and  muttered  : 

"It  is  done.  I  have  but  to  strike,  and  all  that 
the  world  can  give  is  mine." 

10 


CHAPTER   IX. 

THE    HALL    OF   THE    SIGNORIA. 

ON  the  following  morning  the  castle  was  astir 
with  unwonted  activity.  It  was  Sunday,  and  the 
solemn  gathering  of  the  Signoria,  or  assemblage  of 
prelates,  nobles,  and  citizens,  had  been  appointed 
to  it,  that  the  conclave  and  its  resolves  might  bor 
row  from  the  day  something  of  its  spiritual  pur 
pose.  To  this  appeal  had  Ludovico  resorted  as  a 
diversion  wherewith  to  cajole  from  the  Milanese  a 
voluntary  conscription  and  a  half-involuntary  loan ; 
and  to  this  end  he  was  to  review  before  them  the 
favorable  traits  of  his  rule,  and  foreshadow  the 
calamities  which  must  attend  the  invader.  He 
had  designed  to  heighten  the  effect  of  this  dis 
course  by  a  dramatic  release  of  the  duchess,  but, 
to  Hermes'  astonishment,  Isabelle  refused  to  leave 
her  prison  unless  expelled  by  force. 

Ludovico  had  prepared  himself  for  this  meet 
ing  with  perfect  confidence  in  its  good  effect.  At 
a  time  when  representative  government  was  well 
nigh  unknown,  such  a  convocation  was  the  most 
flattering  of  all  the  arts  of  political  persuasion  with 
which  Machiavelli's  typical  prince  could  beguile 


7V//-:    HALL    OF    THE  SIGXORIA.  147 

his  subjects  ;  unfortunately  it  was  also  a  confession 
of  extreme  weakness,  for  it  was  resorted  to  only  in 
the  direst  straits. 

The  populace  gathered  in  animated  groups 
about  the  space  between  the  castle  and  the  city. 
The  shopman,  witli  party-colored  jacket ;  the  con- 
tadina,  with  white  and  yellow  dress  and  silver 
shaft  through  her  braids  ;  the  soldier,  with  leather 
doublet  and  iron  casque ;  the  black-robed  scri 
vener's  clerk,  and  his  sweetheart,  the  milliner's 
maid  ;  the  swarthy  artisans  in  their  Sunday  frocks, 
— all  jeered  and  chatted  and  craned  over  one  an 
other's  shoulders,  as,  through  their  midst,  walked 
the  nobles  followed  by  servants  wearing  their  mas 
ter's  blazon,  or,  at  intervals,  a  prelate  attended  by 
a  couple  of  sacristans  carrying  over  his  head  a 
purple  umbrella  ;  close  upon  the  heels  of  these 
came  the  usurers,  reluctantly  obeying  the  sum 
mons,  and  glad  to  follow  in  the  peaceful  wake  of 
the  monsignori.  While  few  escaped  the  gibes  of 
the  rabble,  several  who  were  known  to  oppose  the 
duke  were  applauded. 

The  jesting  and  hooting  subsided  at  the  ap 
proach  of  a  dust -covered  retinue  attending  a 
mounted  officer  clad  from  the  waist  up  in  the 
knightly  armor  which  was  soon  to  become  obso 
lete,  and  with  helmet  hanging  at  the  saddle-bow. 
A.  muttered  execration  preceded  him,  for  ho  was 
Sanseverino,  the  luckless  commander  of  Ludovico's 


148  SFORZA. 

army,  who  had  fled  after  a  first  misfortune,  leaving 
his  regiments  to  disperse.  He  sat  his  horse  with 
fine  bearing,  for  in  the  lists  he  possessed  a  prowess 
which,  with  an  address  in  handling  troops  on  the 
parade  ground,  had  won  for  him  the  repute  of  an 
accomplished  general.  Irritated  at  the  taunts  of 
the  populace,  he  spurred  his  horse  to  a  trot,  and, 
followed  by  the  escort  which  had  accompanied  him 
from  Alessandria,  disappeared  within  the  castle. 
While  stretching  himself  after  his  fatigues  in  the 
saddle,  and  listening  to  an  explanation  of  the  un 
wonted  throng  on  the  piazza,  he  despatched  his 
seneschal  to  ask  audience  of  the  duke.  His  mes 
senger  was  promptly  conducted  to  the  presence  of 
Ludovico,  who  was  in  the  hands  of  a  hairdresser, 
having  the  usual  cosmetics  applied  to  his  long, 
soft  locks,  while  another  attendant  trimmed  and 
polished  the  nails  of  his  hands.  Sforza  was 
dressed,  all  but  the  satin  cassock  which  lay  folded 
near  by,  while  before  him  sat  Almodoro,  talk 
ing  to  beguile  the  last  moments  of  the  duke's 
toilet. 

"  Maledetto  !  "  ejaculated  Ludovico  peevishly, 
as  the  name  of  his  captain  was  announced,  "  he 
comes  untimely  :  bid  him  wait  until  this  business 
is  ended,  —  or,  stay,  he  must  have  weighty  news; 
Almodoro,  go  you  and  speak  with  him  ;  explain 
that  I  must  forthwith  to  the  Signoria ;  hear  what 
he  has  to  say,  and  hasten  back ;  and,  hark'ye,  bid 


THE  HALL    OF   THE  KIGNORIA.  149 

him  keep  under  cover,  or  the  sight  of  his  face  to 
day  will  mar  all." 

And  while  the  alchemist  went  on  this  errand, 
and  while  Lndovico  ordered  his  guard  of  arque- 
busiers  to  be  summoned,  the  concourse  in  the 
great  hall  increased,  and  talked  more  and  more 
volubly,  and  groaned  at  the  heat,  and  derided  the 
bankers  who  came  tardily.  The  place  in  which 
they  were  gathered  had  served,  for  over  a  century, 
as  council  room  to  the  families  of  Yiscoriti  and 
Sforza,  with  whose  portraits  its  walls  were  hung. 
The  latter  had  succeeded  so  naturally  to  the 
extinct  family,  that,  contrary  to  the  practice  of 
Italian  government,  the  memorials  of  the  previous 
line  remained  undisturbed.  The  only  change  had 
been  made  fifty  years  before  by  Duke  Francesco, 
who,  returning  from  a  visit  to  Venice  dazzled  by 
the  gorgeous  effects  of  the  Palace  of  the  Doges, 
had  enriched  the  Hall  of  the  Signoria  with  tapes 
tries  and  frescoes.  At  the  head  of  the  room  was 
an  enclosed  space,  separated  from  the  audience, 
and  here  was  Ludovico's  chair,  near  which  sat  his 
brother,  Cardinal  Ascanio,  the  recipient  of  osten 
tatious  and  unctuous  veneration  from  the  prelates 
admitted  to  this  precinct,  and  who,  in  olden  days, 
were  the  nearest  advisers  of  the  Prince.  Next  in 
order  were  the  nobles,  seated  in  rows,  behind 
whom,  in  a  dense  mass,  stood  the  less  favored. 

It   was   precisely   the    hour    appointed    when    a 


150  SFOEZA. 

door  opened,  and  Ludovico  entered,  preceded  by 
a  group  of  pages  :  punctuality,  lie  was  wont  to  say, 
is  a  mark  of  education.  Those  who  were  seated 
rose  as  he  entered,  and  he  saluted  the  Signoria 
with  ducal  beretta  raised  from  his  head,  and  with 
a  glance  of  his  keen,  earnest  eyes.  He  was 
dressed  without  any  of  the  insignia  of  his  rank  ;  a 
round  cap  with  the  crimson  border  turned  up,  an 
edge  of  frilled  linen  at  the  throat,  an  embroid 
ered  doublet,  a  sleeveless  maroon  cassock  lined 
with  yellow  satin,  black  silk  trunks  and  untanned 
shoes.  He  seated  himself,  intending  to  speak  as* 
it  were  from  the  throne ;  then,  as  moved  by  the 
excitement  which  gathered  about  this  last  attempt 
to  redeem  his  waning  glories,  he  rose  and  ad 
dressed  to  his  listening  subjects  the  appeal  whose 
outline  has  been  preserved  by  a  contemporary. 

He  began  by  reviewing  the  beneficent  features 
of  his  rule,  or,  as  he  punctiliously  named  it,  his 
regency.  He  recalled  the  improvements  and  em 
bellishments  lavished  upon  Milan,  and  how  men 
distinguished  in  science  and  art  and  letters  had 
been  attracted  to  it.  "  For,"  said  he,  "  it  has  been 
my  ambition  to  be  remembered  not  only  as  a 
statesman,  but  more  especially  as  a  benefactor." 

He  passed  to  an  explanation  of  the  necessity 
which  had  been  upon  him  of  maintaining  an 
armed  force,  of  hiring  soldiers  from  other  coun 
tries,  and  hence  of  levying  money.  "  I  have 


THE    HALL    OF   THE  SldXOllIA.  151 

sought,"  he  said,  "  by  being  strong,  to  make  our 
frontiers  respected.  It  is  the  weak  and  wealthy 
who  are  the  readiest  objects  of  attack,  and  during 
my  regency  you  have  never  seen  the  banners  of  a 
foe.  If  my  administration  has  been  costly,  it  has 
given  you  just  laws,  increased  riches,  and  sub 
stantial  peace.  My  evil  fortune  cannot  be  attrib 
uted  to  negligence  or  imprudence.  These  present 
reverses  spring  from  the  incapacity  or  the  faith 
lessness  of  some  on  whom  to  my  cost  I  relied. 
I  have  been  deceived  by  masked  visages.  The 
harm  can  be  remedied  by  our  joint  good  will. 
The  support  of  the  Emperor  Maximilian  is  prom 
ised  ;  we  need  but  patience  and  stout  hearts,  and 
in  a  few  weeks  a  valiant  army  will  relieve  us.  For 
myself,  I  declare  that  I  have  preferred  the  labors 
of  government  to  any  personal  indulgence.  What 
prince  is  there  in  Italy  who  lias  less  abused  his 
power  ?  who  has  been  so  gentle  and  accessible  to 
the  humblest  ?  " 

He  continued  amid  a  faint  murmur  which  could 
scarcely  have  been  taken  for  applause. 

"  They  cannot  gainsay  him,"  whispered  Hermes, 
standing  at  the  side  of  Bernardino  ( V)rte. 

"No,  but  they  cavil  at  heart  ;  mark  you  how 
coldly  they  eye  him.  He  should  have  flattered 
their  vanity ;  as  it  is,  the  Signoria  will  listen  and 
do  nothing." 

Perhaps  Ludovico  was   already  making  similar 


152  SFORZA. 

reflections,  but  he  went  on  unruffled.  He  had 
little  more  than  spoken  these  opening  sentences 
when  angry  voices  were  heard  at  the  entrance. 
Hermes  left  noiselessly  by  the  private  door,  and 
discovered  that  the  disturbance  arose  from  Almo- 
doro's  attempt  to  enter  after  the  delivery  of  his 
message  to  Sanseveriiio,  and  when  the  hall  was 
filled  and  the  duke's  address  commenced.  The 
alchemist,  perceiving  the  inconvenience  his  en 
deavor  caused,  would  have  withdrawn,  but,  as  he 
turned,  a  man,  against  whom  he  jostled,  assailed 
him  with  a  torrent  of  abuse.  When  Hermes 
reached  the  scene,  this  personage  was  pouring 
forth  a  stream  of  invective  such  as  only  the  volu 
bility  and  the  intensity  of  an  Italian  can  sustain. 
His  body  quivered  with  rage,  he  had  dashed  his 
hat  upon  the  ground,  his  arms  cut  the  air  with 
gestures,  his  hands  now  clenched,  his  fingers  now 
extended  in  the  speaking  movements  with  which 
the  Latins  emphasize  their  words.  Before  him, 
pale,  erect,  silent,  stood  the  alchemist,  his  tall 
figure  drawn  up,  his  face  intent,  a  dangerous  fire 
rising  in  his  eyes.  Pressing  about  them  were  the 
two  or  three  score  who  had  been  unable  to  gain 
admittance.  Suddenly  Almodoro  stepped  forward, 
and,  with  a  quick  swinging  movement  of  his  right 
hand,  dealt  the  other  a  heavy  slap  in  the  face. 

In  the  confusion  which  followed,  Hermes  vainly 
strove    to   interpose   between   them.     The  throng 


THE  HALL    OF   THE  S1GNORTA.  153 

increased,  but  as  the  law  of  Milan  forbade  the 
carrying  of  weapons  within  the  city,  the  excited 
me  11  who  surged  and  clamored  were  without  the 
means  of  inflicting  very  dangerous  strokes.  Her 
mes,  feeling  himself  rudely  pushed  by  some  one 
elbowing  his  way  backward,  seized  the  new-comer 
violently,  when,  catching  a  glimpse  of  his  face,  he 
took  him  by  the  shoulders  and  dragged  him  clear 
of  the  crowd. 

"  There,  Narvae/,"  he  said  with  a  laugh,  as  the 
fencer's  angered  features  wrere  revealed,  "  you  are 
more  obliged  to  me  for  bringing  you  out  of  that 
rabble  than  I  am  to  you  for  trying  to  fracture  my 
ribs.  What  a  gorgeous  figure  !  Per  Bacco,  where 
got  you  that  silvery  cape  ?  " 

The  Spaniard  had  used  a  handful  of  the  duke's 
gold  to  purchase  an  outfit  of  unusual  richness, 
and,  imitation  being  the  sincerest  flattery,  Hermes 
smiled  to  see  his  own  dress  and  ornaments  repro 
duced, — the  hair  gathered  in  a  net,  the  bracelets 
on  the  left  wrist,  the  slashed  doublet,  the  beretta 
with  cluster  of  brilliants,  the  silk  cloak  shot  with 
silver  thread. 

'•  You  have  a  graceful  way  of  walking  through  a 
crowd, — backward,  with  both  elbows  going,"  he 
continued. 

"  I  meant  to  reach  Messer  Almodoro  :  hark'ye, 
padrone,  I  fear  he  may  be  hurt." 

"  And  what  concern  is  that  of  yours?  " 


154  SFORZA. 

"None,  but  it  was  a  tempting  quarrel;  besides, 
within  the  door  sits — you  know  whom  I  mean." 

"  Ha  !  I  guess  it, — the  widow  who  is  sworn  to 
marry  you  whether  or  no, — am  I  right '?  And  she 
gave  you  one  amorous  look,  and  you  fled." 

"  Jesting  aside,  Almodoro  is  one  against  many, 
and  delivered  that  stroke  with  a  fervor  I  could 
not  have  surpassed.  But  he  comes;  see!  they 
make  place  for  him." 

"  Then  let  us  move  aside  ;  we  will  walk  as  far  as 
the  piazza  ;  you  need  have  no  further  fear  for  the 
magician.  Come  with  me." 

"  You  know  him  well  ?  " 

"  I  know  of  him  well." 

"  And  can  one  believe  the  marvellous  things 
told  of  his  art  ?  " 

"  No  doubt,  because  they  are  vouched  for  to  his 
discredit  by  the  monsignori,  and  even  by  Cardinal 
Ascanio.  His  famous  adventure  with  a  siren  rests 
upon  their  declaration,  when  charges  were  made 
before  the  Holy  Office,  so,  of  course,  it  must  be 
true." 

"  I  never  heard  of  it.  What  did  he  with  the 
siren  ?  " 

"  There  are  some  rocks  in  the  sea  near  Amain 
called  the  Siren  Islands,  and  famoiis  since  the 
days  of  Ulysses.  If  you  sail  about  them,  as  I  have 
done,  you  can  see  the  bold  face  of  the  cliffs  catch 
ing  the  flushes  of  dawn,  and  the  waves  dashing  in 


THE    HALL    OF   THE  S1GXOR1A.  155 

and  tossing  the  spray  aloft  like  a  banner.  "Tis 
there  the  sirens  lurk  far  do\vn  in  the  deep  sea 
caves,  or  bask  in  the  sunshine  on  the  water.  Few 
ever  got  more  than  a  distant  peep  at  them, -till 
Almodoro  caught  one  and  brought  her  alive  to 
Milan." 

"  Mercy  !  "  ejaculated  the  Spaniard  ;  "  with  what 
bait  should  one  cast  for  a  mermaid'?" 

''  You  are  right,"  answered  Hermes,  smiling  at 
the  fencer's  earnestness,  "  that  it  required  an  ex 
traordinary  lure.  These  sirens  already  possess 
most  of  the  things  the  black  art  can  bestow, — per 
petual  youth,  changeless  beauty,  fascination  upon 
whoever  sees  them  :  the,  difficulty  was  to  get  within 
speaking  distance  ;  that  gained,  and  one  of  them 
listening,  Almodoro  offered  her  the  one  faculty  she 
had  not  — the  gift  to  renew  and  rekindle  the  pleas 
ures  and  memories  and  loves  of  the  past." 

"What  could  the  wizard  want  with  her?" 

"To  make;  her  tell  the  future;  for  sirens  can 
read  events  to  come  almost  as  well  as  sibyls.  And, 
once  in  his  power,  lie  wrung  from  her  all  the 
secrets  of  the  sea,  and  made,  her  reveal  the  story 
of  a  thousand  vears  to  come.  But  it  lasted  onlv 
a  few  days;  then  the  beautiful  color  the  fair 
weather  of  ages  had  laid  on  her  cheeks,  and  the 
violet  green  that  her  ryes  had  caught  from  the 
sparkling  brine,  faded,  and  she  pined  away." 

"  What  !    she  died  ?  " 


156  SFORZA. 

"  Yes,  woman-like  slie  craved  the  only  thing 
impossible  for  her  to  possess." 

"And  that  was ?" 

"  Almodoro's  love  :  'tis  an  odd  story,  but  I  meant 
not  to  waste  so  many  minutes  telling  it.  Come, 
let  us  walk  faster." 

"  You  will  not  stay  and  listen  to  the  duke?  " 

"  Why  should  I  ?  he  is  not  talking  to  me,  nor  to 
you  either.  Come,  I  have  seen  you  but  once  since 
our  return  from  Venice." 

"  Well,  that  was  but  a  week  ago,  and  doubtless 
you  have  been  very  busy  since  then." 

"  In  these  anxious  days  who  has  been  idle  ?  " 

"  Ah,  but  I  mean  busy  with  something  the 
thought  whereof  makes  the  eyes  glisten  and  the 
heart  beat,— is  it  not  rightly  called  Bianca  Eucel- 
lai  ?  " 

"  Beatissima !  and  do  you,  too,  thrust  gibes  at 
me  because  I  love  a  pretty  woman  ?  " 

"  Do  you  really  love  her  ?  "  inquired  Narvaez, 
with  interest  grown  suddenly  serious. 

"I  do,"  replied  the  other  earnestly.  "I  love 
her  as  she  should  be  loved." 

"But  not  enough  to  wed!"  asked  the  fencer, 
turning  upon  him  a  face  strangely  flushed.  "  Re 
member,"  he  continued,  with  a  furtive,  sidelong 
glance,  ''the  lines  of  our  Spanish  rime,  that  love, 
like  a  lute,  often  needs  fresh  strings." 

"  And  why  not  enough  to  wed  ?     And  what  mat- 


THE  H.\J.L  or  mi:  xi 

tor  is  it  to  you  whom  I  wed  ?  One  would  think 
you  h;i;l  never  loved  a  beautiful  girl  yourself." 

''I  never  have/'  replied  Narvaez,  with  an  ab 
stracted  air. 

"  By  my  troth,  I  would  no  more  be  friends  with 
a  youth  who  makes  such  an  avowal,  but  that  I 
know  you  to  be  a  hero.  O  Xarvaez,  it  was  sub 
lime  in  you  to  take  my  place  before  the  Star 
Chamber  !  " 

"Old  Barbarigo  bade  me  do  so." 

"  But  you  risked  your  life." 

"So  he  said." 

"  You  did  not  slip  a  noose  about  your  neck  for 
nothing.  Now,  what  reward  can  I  offer  you  ?  " 

"  Cannot  one  be  generous  without  being  thought 
mercenarv  ?  " 

"  But  you  did  it  for  me,  who  am  no  more  to  you 
than  yonder  branch  rustling  in  the  sunlight." 

"  One  would  think  you  were  trying  to  pick  a 
quarrel  over  it.  Listen  ;  since  vou  must  reward 
me,  I  will  have  this  or  nothing.  You  shall  tell  me 
what  was  in  that  odd  triangular  letter  that  so 
worked  upon  the  doge  ;  surely,  now  that  all  is 
over,  it  wore  no  harm  to  tell!  " 

"You  shall  share  the  little  I  know  about  it,  but 
there  maybe  eavesdroppers  among  these  houses; 
let  us  cross  the;  piazza." 

Passing  down  a  street  whose  centre  was  divided 
by  an  odorous  gutter,  they  came  to  the  Piazza 


158  SFORZA. 

de'  Mercanti,  which  had  recently  been  cleared, 
and  which,  with  other  improvements,  had  so  em 
bellished  the  city  that,  in  the  popular  phrase, 
II  Moro  had  changed  Milan  from  a  spinster  to  a 
fair  maiden.  Only  one  ancient  building  remained 
upon  this  square, —  a  tower  ornamented  at  the  top 
with  stone  busts  of  generals  of  a  century  before, 
which  the  designer  had  so  pierced  with  apertures 
that  the  wind  blowing  through  them  on  stormy 
nights  made  a  dismal,  whistling  noise.  They  were 
a  sorry  group  that  had  been  so  gallant  in  their 
prime,  with  here  and  there  a  nose  or  an  ear  or  a 
chin  missing,  and  all  stained  and  weatherbeaten, 
and,  on  a  boisterous  night,  moaning  and  shrilling 
their  forlorn  condition  till  the  tower  gained  an  evil 
repute.  At  another  extremity  of  the  piazza  wras  a 
building,  recently  renovated,  which  was  the  palace 
of  the  Holy  Inquisition,  where  heretics  were  tried, 
and  blasphemers  flogged,  and  Jews  fined,  and  deal 
ers  in  the  black  art  racked.  Above  its  terraced 
roof  was  a  weather-vane  in  the  form  of  a  man, 
which  Hermes  remembered  of  old ;  for,  as  a  child, 
he  had  often  watched  it  at  dusk  from  his  nursery 
window,  swerving  in  the  breeze,  and,  to  his  boyish 
fancy,  seeming  a  shape  of  ill  omen.  In  later  years 
his  dislike  of  it  increased,  for  when,  at  twilight, 
he  beheld  its  misty  figure  veering  above  the  shad 
owy  roof-tops,  it  seemed  to  his  imagination  pos 
sessed  of  satanic  intelligence,  and  pointing,  with 


777 K   HALL    OF    THE  XI(1X()RIA.  159 

fiendish  humor,  at  tlie  follies  and  failures  of  his 
life. 

"  You  ask  mo  about  that  mysterious  letter," 
resumed  Hermes  thoughtfully.  "  From  something 
the  duke  said,  it  must  have  contained  an  allusion 
to  some  sorceries  of  the  doge's  which  bind  him 
yet.  Old  men  like  Barbarigo  are  great  favorites 
with  witches  ;  they  will  cackle  when  they  catch  one, 
like  poor  people  laughing  at  a  rich  man's  joke." 

"  But  ho\v  could  the  duke  know  of  Barbarigo's 
sorceries'?  " 

''Doubtless  from  Almodoro.  He  is  a  Venetian 
and  as  old  as  a  church ;  perhaps  he  was  impli 
cated,  and,  noAV  that  he  is  my  uncle's  soothsayer, 
may  have  furnished  a  useful  hint." 

"And  was  it  for  such  wanton  trifles  we  were 
sent  on  that  mad  adventure?  " 

"  At  least  I  stipulated  a  splendid  reward.  Can 
you  keep  a  secret?  I  bargained  that  the  duchess 
and  Francesco  be  released,  and  that  their  captivity 
end  :  I  have  done  my  utmost ;  what  sad  fate  awaits 
them  I  know  not,  but  at  least  they  are  free." 

"That  was  bravely  done,  and  like  you;  but  a 
week  lias  passed  and  they  are  still  in  the  castle'?" 

"They  could  not  be  turned  adrift  at  an  hour's 
notice,  but  in  a  day  or  two  I  shall  persuade  Isa 
bella  to— 

Hermes  paused  involuntarily  as  a  sudden  ex 
pression  of  unconscious  repugnance  appeared  upon 


100  SFORZA. 

Narvaez'  face ;  and,  turning  to  seek  its  cause,  lie 
beheld  the  alchemist  following,  with  gaze  fixed 
intently  upon  them,  and  with  an  amused  expres 
sion  as  he  perceived  the  concern  his  appearance 
produced. 

"Pardon  me,"  he  said  suavely  to  Hermes,  "if  I 
have  come  unwittingly  upon  your  confidences ;  but 
blame  me  not,  for  the  streets  are  free  to  all,  and 
you  should  not  blurt  strange  tidings." 

"You  have  the  reputation,"  answered  Hermes 
bitterly,  "of  surprising  many  secrets;  but  you 
shall  rue  this  meeting  if  you  betray  what  you  have 
overheard !  " 

"  Rue  this  meeting !  "  repeated  the  alchemist 
with  sneering  imitation  ;  "  what  must  I  understand 
from  such  harsh  words  ?  " 

"  That  the  will  gains  upon  me  to  run  you  through 
the  body,  and  to  end  at  once  your  eavesdropping 
and  your  wizard's  tricks." 

"lam  unarmed,"  answered  Almodoro  gravely, 
"as  the  law  commands  all  honest  citizens  to  be. 
You  bear  a  rapier  through  that  exemption  which 
extends  to  an  officer.  But  swords  are  committed 
to  the  duke's  captains  for  nobler  uses  than  that 
you  contemplate.  A  day's  ride  from  here  are 
twenty  thousand  enemies  of  your  family;  but 
lately  there  was  an  encounter  with  them ;  were 
you  there  to  draw  upon  an  armed  foe  the  blade 
with  which  you  threaten  me  ?  " 


THE  HALL    OF   THE  SWXOIUA.  161 

Before  Hermes  could  answer  this  taunt  with  the 
defiance  that  sprang  to  his  lips,  the  soothsayer 
waved  him  back. 

"Since  this  release  is  Ludovico's  pleasure,"  he 
said,  "  what  care  I  further  ?  As  for  you,  Sforza, 
since  you  are  thus  eager  for  blood,  be  011  your 
guard  at  the  next  Ottobrata,  for  one  shall  cross 
your  path  then  who  will  do  you  a  mischief.  And 
at  Christmas  think  of  me,  and  remember  the  prov 
erb,  '  lJ7/^/.v  conic  qidt'l'lij  to  unguarded  treasure.'  ' 
Then,  casting  a  searching  look  upon  Narvaez,  he 
added  : 

"Bold  youth,  I  have  110  weapon,  but  I  will  smile 
you  with  a  whisper — a  syllable  in  your  ear." 

Hermes,  watching  the  alchemist  as  he  moved 
to  the  side  of  Narvaez,  saw  the  fencer  reel  back 
before  the  faint  words  as  though  before  some  dire 
ful  stroke.  Then  Almodoro  laughed  softly,  and 
said  aloud  to  Xarvaez,  who  stood  gazing  speech 
less  upon  him  : 

"The  truth  peeps  from  your  eyes — it  always 
does  for  me." 

The  Spaniard  labored  under  such  intense  dis 
tress  that  Hermes,  regarding  Almodoro  no  further, 
stepped  to  his  side,  and,  taking  him  about  the, 
shoulder,  said  : 

"  Heed  him  not,  man,  but  pluck  up  a  brave  heart ; 
and  look!   he  goes  away;  therefore  be  comforted. 
In  truth   he   has  a  ready  wit,  and  if  his  sword  be 
11 


162  SFORZA. 

as  keen  as  his  tongue —  -  but  what  was  it  he 
whispered?  " 

"  Ask  me  not,"  answered  the  fencer  faintly,  gaz 
ing  with  a  relieved  expression  after  the  retreating 
figure  :  "  that  strange  being  is  no  man  that  reads 
in  people's  thoughts  !  " 

"As  a  friend,  I  beseech  you,  confide  in  me  the 
words  that  so  strangely  startled  you." 

"There  are  things  which  cannot  be  told." 

"  So  you,  too,  have  a  secret  ?  " 

"  Alas,  yes.  I  may  tell  it  you  on  my  deathbed, 
but  never  before." 


CHAPTER   X. 

LAGO    LARIO. 

THREE  days  after  Sforza's  fruitless  appeal  to  the 
Signoria,  a  travelling  retinue  of  unusual  proportions 
was  collected  at  daybreak  in  the  courtyard  of  the 
castle.  There  were  horses  for  the  duke  and  his 
companions,  mules  for  the  servants  and  baggage, 
and  the  chargers  of  a  score  of  knights  who  were  to 
escort  Ludovico  in  the  flight  which  the  advance  of 
the  French  and  the  disaffected  state  of  his  capital 
rendered  necessary.  His  last  resource  was  now  to 
seek  assistance  from  abroad,  and  he  was  about 
to  depart  silently,  so  that,  before  the  Milanese 
divined  his  purpose,  he  should  be  hastening  from 
among  them. 

The  preceding  day  had  boon  devoted  to  calculat 
ing  the  resources  of  the  castle  against  the  siege  it 
must  presently  sustain,  and  in  visiting  the  ram 
parts  which  were  being  made  ready  for  defence  : 
in  good  and  valiant  Bernardino  Corte's  hands  it 
was  to  endure  as  a  pivot  for  operations  when  the 
duke  should  return  with  a  host  of  Swiss  mer 
cenaries.  Into  it  were  collected  eighteen  hundred 
cannon  of  various  shapes  and  sizes,  a  year's  pro- 


164  SFORZA. 

visions  for  three  thousand  men,  and  in  the  great 
keep  were  stored  the  jewels  and  part  of  the  treas 
ure.  To  the  governor's  fealty  all  this  was  con 
fided  with  the  charge,  "  Defend  it  as  you  would 
your  own  for  four  months ;  if  within  that  time  you 
are  hard  pressed  and  I  come  not,  you  may  make 
terms."  To  which  injunction  Bernardino  answered 
with  vehement  protestation  that,  while  his  life 
continued,  the  castle  should  not  yield  to  less 
than  an  enemy  swarming  in  over  demolished  ram 
parts. 

Among  those  assembled  were  Herrnes,  equipped 
to  the  gauntlets  for  the  journey  to  Innsbruck,  and 
Narvaez,  who  had  come  to  report  to  his  patron. 
They  had  supped  together  the  previous  evening, 
but,  the  intended  flight  being  a  military  secret, 
Hermes,  at  parting,  had  merely  bidden  his  com 
panion  come  at  dawn,  and  so  Narvaez,  wrapped  in 
a  white  cloak,  arrived  betimes,  and  wondered  at 
the  groups  and  the  caparisoned  horses,  and  the 
knights  stamping  and  fault-finding  as  their  armor 
was  buckled  on,  and  the  files  of  men  hastening  to 
the  treasure-keep  and  back,  bringing  small  barrels 
of  ducats. 

And  as  Narvaez,  standing  by  a  great  pile  of 
stone  cannon-balls,  watched  and  listened,  Hermes 
appeared  and  tapped  him  on  the  shoulder. 

"  You  see,"  he  began,  "  it  was  for  a  leave-taking 
I  bade  you." 


LA  GO    LMllO.  165 

"  I  divined  it,''  replied  the  fencer  ;  "  and  now  I 
cannot  shake  off  a  premonition  that,  if  we  part,  it 
will  be  to  meet  no  more." 

"That  is  last  night's  Barolo,"  replied  Hermes, 
laughing ;  then,  changing  his  bantering  tone  to 
one  of  sadness,  he  added,  "  yon  are  to  await  my 
return ;  for  during  this  absence  you  can  render 
me  a  favor  I  shall  always  value." 

"  Say  not  so,  dear  Hermes,  illustrissimo,  but 
take  me  with  you ;  I  served  well  enough  once  be 
fore  to  l)e  trusted  now." 

"Alas,  this  is  to  be  an  absence  of  months,  with 
long  days  on  horseback,  and  you  are  not  famous 
as  a  rider." 

"  How  dreadful  it  will  be  in  Milan  !  A  foreign 
army,  no  fencing,  and  you  gone.  The  days  will  be 
more  sombre  than  an  old  man's  dream  ;  .and  as  for 
me,  I  shall  grow  as  melancholy  as  a  caged  bird  to 
which  no  one  speaks." 

"You  have  the  widow  to  turn  to." 

"  I  will  set  her  at  the  French." 

"  In  truth  I  feel  sorry  for  you,  but  vastly  more 
so  for  myself,  thus  chased  forth — perhaps  for 
ever."  Then,  catching  the  Spaniard's  hands,  he 
added :  "  If  you  think  of  me  sometimes,  remember 
only  the  pleasant  days  we  have  spent  together — 
the  tourneys  and  races  we  have  watched — the 
Sunday  afternoons  at  Monza — ah  me,  Narvaez,  a 
niu'ht  like  this  makes  one  think  that  if  we  knew 


166  RFORZA. 

beforehand  the  disappointments  of  the  future, 
hardly  a  man  would  care  to  live  !  " 

"  Oh,  take  me  with  you,"  pleaded  the  fencer 
beseechingly;  "you  know  I  mind  no  hardship,  and 
we  shall  comfort  one  another  in  exile." 

"It  cannot  be,  for  there  is  an  infinite  service 
you  must  render  me  here  in  Milan.  I  have  con 
fided  to  you  that  I  love  a  beautiful  girl :  I  have 
not  told  you  how  artless  she  is,  how  trustful, 
how  untaught  by  the  lessons  of  the  world  ;  if 
she  remain  here  through  all  these  calamitous 
days- 

The  request  that  was  to  follow  died  on  Hermes' 
lips,  as,  to  his  astonishment,  Narvaez  grew  livid 
with  anger,  and,  without  another  word,  turned  on 
his  heel  and  walked  rapidly  away.  Before  Hermes 
had  recovered  from  his  surprise,  his  uncle  called 
him. 

Ludovico  spoke  in  quick,  earnest  words.  "  The 
moment  has  come,"  he  said,  "  when  I  must  trans 
fer  Isabelle  and  Francesco  to  your  care,  whether 
they  will  or  no  ;  set  them  free,  commit  them  to  the 
French,  or  lead  them  to  some  remote  province  :  it 
is  yours  to  decide."  Then,  beckoning  the  gover 
nor,  who  was  feverishly  urging  on  the  preparations, 
he  desired  him  to  summon  the  duchess. 

"  Here,  in  the  cortile,  before  all  these  men ! " 
objected  the  governor,  aghast  at  his  master's  com 
mand. 


LA  GO    LA  If  10.  107 

"  And  why  not?  "  retorted  the  duke;  "  do  pris 
oners  no  longer  come  when  bidden,  or  is  not  this 
courtyard  good  enough  to  set  her  free?" 

"  Free  ! "'  echoed  the  other,  whose  visually  ready 
intelligence  seemed  stunned  behind  his  discon 
certed  visage  ;  then,  recovering  himself  with  an 
effort,  he  bowed  and  hastened  away. 

But  he  went  no  further  than  the  guard-room 
at  the  entrance  of  the  building  in  which  Isabelle 
had  been  secluded,  and  here  he  threw  himself 
upon  a  bench  and  fell  into  a  tremulous  cogita 
tion. 

The  duchess  had  been  released  by  him  at  dusk 
on  the  previous  evening,  and  was  now  far  011  her 
way  to  meet  the  French,  her  boy  remaining  in 
Bernardino's  quarters  while  she  made  this  early 
overture  for  the  surrender  of  the  unconquerable 
castle.  The  little  Francesco  was  guaranty  that,  at 
her  restoration,  the  governor's  good  offices  should 
be.  rewarded.  For  two  days  Bernardino  had  been 
in  frequent  converse  with  the  duke,  and,  through 
all  the  instructions  given  him,  no  word  had  been 
spoken  of  Galeazzo's  widow.  He  had  assumed 
that  she  would  be  left  in  his  custody,  and  that  the 
haste  and  preoccupation  of  Ludovico's  departure 
would  prevent  a  final  interview.  At  Isabella's  en 
treaty,  and  upon  her  insistence  that  they  must 
be  beforehand  with  their  proposal,  he  had  braved 
the  risk  and  set  her  free.  And  now  the  prisoner 


168  SFORZA. 

must  be  instantly  produced,  at  the  alternative  of 
exposure. 

In  that  age  of  action  and  of  sanguinary  emergen 
cies,  men  reached  determinations  promptly.  The 
governor  sprang  up  the  stairway  to  the  vacant 
apartment,  and,  locking  its  heavy  doors,  tossed 
the  key  away.  Then,  hurrying  to  his  own  quar 
ters,  he  found  there  a  lieutenant  of  the  guard  and 
half  a  dozen  arquebusiers.  He  called  the  officer 
aside,  with  a  grim  smile  at  the  chance  which 
brought  that  particular  man  on  duty. 

"  Cola,"  he  began,  "  I  have  but  one  minute  to 
speak  ;  shall  I  use  that  minute  to  make  your  for 
tune  ?  " 

"Si,  signore,"  replied  the  lieutenant,  with  a  sin 
ister  twinkle  of  the  eyes. 

"  Promise  your  men  a  hundred  ducats  apiece  if 
the  work  is  well  done.  For  yourself  a  thousand, 
and  that  vacant  captaincy  we  spoke  of." 

"  Si,  signore." 

"  You  are  to  do  precisely  what  I  tell  you,  and  be 
deaf,  dumb,  and  blind  to  all  beside." 

"  Si,  signore." 

"  I  shall  enter  this  courtyard  presently  with  one 
person,  perhaps  with  several.  If  I  fold  my  arms 
thus,  the  portcullis  must  be  lowered ;  if  I  drop  my 
handkerchief,  you  and  your  fellows  are  to  run  to 
me — and  mind,  Cola,  there  are  to  be  no  wounded — 
it  must  be  neatlv  done." 


LAGO    LARK).  1GQ 

"Si,  signore." 

"  It  matters  not  who  the  persons  may  be,  even 
were  one  of  them  the  duke  himself." 

"  But,  signore  !  " 

"Tush!  I  must  away.  When  all  is  done,  you 
shall  choose  yourself  a  sweetheart." 

When  Bernardino  returned  to  the  presence  of 
the  duke,  he  found  Ludovico  bidding  good-bv  to 
his  two  little  boys,  whom  their  uncle  Ascanio  was 
about  to  conduct  to  a  refuge  in  Germany.  The 
cardinal  had  put  oil'  his  habitual  robes  and  also 
his  usual  suavity.  Had  his  advice  been  followed, 
a  douceur  would  have  been  paid  the  French  as 
their  "  damages."  But  the  high  treasurer  Landri- 
ano  had  scoffed  at  this,  and  now  the  French  were 
upon  them,  and  all  was  lost.  And  likewise  he  had 
objected  to  the  appointment  of  Bernardino  Corte  to 
so  supreme  a  trust  as  the  command  of  the  castle  ; 
but  Bernardino  had  been  chosen  despite  his  pro 
test,  and  so  the  cardinal  was  vexed,  and  answered 
in  monosyllables  when  his  brother  addressed  him. 

And  as  Ludovico  stood  chatting  with  his  boys, 
IK;  noticed  the  waiting  governor,  and  sa\v  that 
he  had  returned  without  Isabella,  and  then  his 
sombre;  brow  grew  darker  as  he  asked  : 

"Why  have  you  not  brought  the  duchess,  as  I 
bade  you  ?  " 

"  Because,"  answered  the  governor  with  pro 
found  deference,  "she  refuses  to  come." 


170  SFORZA. 

At  this  extraordinary  declaration  the  cardinal 
laughed  sardonically,  while  Almodoro  gazed  in 
amazement  at  the  speaker,  and  even  the  guards 
looked  up  from  their  work.  Then  Sforza  asked 
angrily : 

"  Did  not  you  command  her  in  my  name  ?  " 

"I  did;  but  at  this  early  hour  she  has  not  yet 
risen  :  moreover  the  door  was  locked,  and  she  re 
fused  to  open  it." 

"  And  how  is  it  that  you  leave  to  a  prisoner  the 
means  to  lock  herself  in  and  thus  defy  you  ?  " 

"  I  did  so  in  obedience  to  your  own  order,  that, 
apart  from  the  daily  inspection,  the  duchess  be  at 
liberty  to  seclude  herself." 

"  Then  call  an  armorer  to  beat  in  that  door  upon 
the  instant — quick !  an  armorer  and  a  couple  of 
men." 

The  cardinal,  who  stood  listening,  grew  merry 
over  this  discourse,  and  chuckled  as  he  said  : 

"  It  will  be  a  lengthy  process  breaking  in  your 
jail  doors,  and,  ere  you  return,  I  and  the  children 
will  be  on  our  way :  see,  it  is  almost  sunrise,  and 
we  have  but  twelve  hours'  start  of  the  French." 

"  The  French  !—  a  leprosy  upon  them  !  "  retorted 
Ludovico.  "Yet  stay,  Ascanio,  I  would  have  a 
moment  with  you — some  other  must  look  to  this 
woman — Hermes,  it  shall  be  you — you  begged  the 
witch's  release,  go  and  deal  with  her  as  you  will." 

Hermes  lost  no  time  in  availing  himself  of  this 


LA  GO    LA  mo.  171 

permission  :  followed  by  Bernardino  Corte,  lie 
started  in  the  direction  of  the  building  the  duch 
ess  had  occupied.  It  would  have  fared  ill  with 
him  had  he  passed  out  of  view  of  his  companions, 
for  at  his  heels  walked  Bernardino  with  hand  laid 
upon  the  read_\  poniard ;  but  the  quick  eye  of 
Hermes  noticed  the  open  shutters  of  Isabelle's 
rooms.  He  halted  abruptly,  turned  a  suspicious 
glance  toward  his  comrade,  observed  the  gover 
nor's  right  hand  instinctively  tightening  upon  his 
stiletto,  then,  with  a  backward  step,  he  brought 
the  heavy  rapier  within  reach.  At  this  the  gov 
ernor  made  an  odd  grimace,  and  threw  his  hands 
aloft  in  vehement  remonstrance,  and  poured  forth 
a  torrent  of  reproach. 

Did  the  friend  who  had  been  his  boon  com 
panion  suspect  him?  and,  if  so,  of  what?  And 
otherwise,  what  meant  this  strange  menace  ?  why 
scowled  ho  thus  ?  and  why  stood  he  ready  to  draw 
upon  one  who  extended  the  grasp  of  fellowship? 

To  all  which  Hermes  answered  impatiently : 
"Those  shades  have  not  been  closed  since  yester 
day  ;  the  duchess  is  no  longer  there — where  is 
she?" 

The  governor  cast  aside  as  useless  the  denial  that 
rose  to  his  lips.  He  reflected  in  that  brief  pause 
that  his  life  was  now  at  stake,  that  a  few  min 
utes  must  be  gained,  that  Hermes  must  be  coaxed 
fifty  paces  further,  just  out  of  sight  of  those  in  the 


172  SFORZA. 

court.  He  answered,  therefore,  without  hesitation  : 
"  I  intended,  as  soon  as  we  were  beyond  the  reach 
of  observers,  to  tell  you  the  dreadful  secret,  that 
the  duchess  escaped  with  her  child  last  night." 

"  Escaped  !  none  ever  before  escaped  from  this 
castle.  Speak  me  the  truth — you  have  killed 
her !  Oh,  cruel-hearted  !— was  it  by  the  duke's 
command,  or  does  it  hide  some  greater  infamy  of 
your  own  ?  " 

At  another  time  Bernardino  would  have  been 
quick  to  resent  such  words,  but  he  had  now  a  more 
sinister  purpose  than  the  usual  appeal  to  weapons, 
and  he  mastered  his  auger  and  answered  : 

"  These  are  harsh  words,  Hermes,  but  they  are 
uttered  in  hasty  misunderstanding,  and  you  will 
recall  them  when  I  tell  you  all." 

"Tell  it  then  quickly,  ere  I  summon  the  guard." 

A  vindictive  flush  passed  over  the  governor's 
face  at  this  threat  as  he  replied,  with  a  smile  : 
"  Come  with  me  and  I  will  do  more  than  tell  ;  I 
will  prove  the  truth." 

"  How  will  you  prove  it '?  " 

"  Through  those  who  discovered  her  flight,  and 
who,  at  my  order,  made  vigorous  pursuit,  only  to 
learn  at  a  late  hour  that  the  fugitives  were  still 
miles  ahead  on  the  road  to  Pavia." 

"  And  where  am  I  to  hear  this  tale  ?  " 

"At  my  own  quarters." 

"  And    thence   to    the   bottom    of   an    oubliette. 


LA  tin  LMtio.  17:5 

Look  von,  Bernardino,  of  all  this  you  shall  clear 
yourself  upon  the  instant  and  before  the  duke." 

The  governor  folded  his  arms  in  silence.  And 
as  he  did  so  the  air  was  filled  with  the  clamor  of  a 
throng  outside  the  castle.  At  the  sound  Hermes 
sprang  back  to  the  entrance,  and,  as  he  passed  the 
gate,  the  portcullis  fell  behind  him.  He  divined 
at  a  glance  what  had  happened.  The  depart 
ure  of  Cardinal  Ascaiiio  and  the  Sfor/a  boys  had 
attracted  a  great  crowd,  and  when  Ludovico  sal 
lied  forth  with  his  attendants  and  the  train  of  pack 
mules,  a  cry  arose  that  the  city  was  abandoned 
to  the  enemy,  and  his  progress  was  opposed  with 
staves  and  stones  till,  at  Sanseveriiu/s  command, 
the  knights  laid  lance  in  rest  and  charged,  open 
ing  a  broad  avenue,  upon  which  they  left  here  and 
there  a  lacerated  body,  pierced,  and  trampled  by 
the  horses.  The  news  flew,  and  from  far  and  near 
men  came  running  with  savage  cries.  For  twenty 
years  the  Milanese  had  grumbled  at  Ludovico's 
presence  :  now  they  cursed  his  flight.  Their  own 
apathy  was  forgotten,  and  they  would  fain  have 
presented  their  usurper  in  chains  to  the  French. 
Bnt  Si'orza  heeded  not,  as,  with  a  wave  of  the 
hand,  he  urged  his  followers  towards  the  highway  : 
then  he  called  to  the  people  : 

"  Forbear  bloodshed  ;  you  will  have  sorrows 
enough  ere  long  ; "  and,  borrowing  from  a  homely 
proverb,  he  cried,  with  a  defiant  gesture  : 


174  SFORZA. 

"  The  King  of  France  has  come  to  dine  with  me, 
but  it  is  with  yon  that  he  shall  stay  to  sup." 

The  cavalcade  started  afresh,  while  the  escort 
wheeled  and  covered  its  departure.  A  mile  beyond 
the  walls  the  duke  halted  and  allowed  his  followers 
to  gain  some  distance  ;  then,  dismounting,  he  ap 
proached  a  tablet  which  stood  in  a  cluster  of  wil 
lows  overlooking  the  river.  It  marked  the  grave 
of  Beatrice  ;  here  had  been  her  favorite  walk  to  and 
fro  across  the  grass  and  the  wild  flowers  ;  often 
she  had  sat  in  meditation  upon  a  fallen  oak,  whose 
trunk  still  lay  half  in  shade  and  half  in  flickering 
sunlight,  and  here,  beneath  the  familiar  shelter, 
and  in  the  place  which,  in  life,  had  been  her  ac 
customed  retreat,  she  had  asked  to  be  buried. 
Ludovico  remembered  how  once  he  had  accom 
panied  her  to  this  spot,  and  how,  through  her 
girlish  ways  and  jesting  humor,  she  had  disclosed 
strange  and  startling  ambitions,  inciting  him  to 
dazzling  ventures  and  taunting  him  with  timidity, 
and  saying,  as  she  tossed  the  jessamines  at  her 
bodice  into  the  Olona  : 

"  See  how  idly  fine  resolves  drift  upon  a  slug 
gish  current !  " 

And  now  he  was  there  alone,  and  time  had  made 
sad  havoc  with  their  jessamines.  In  that  place 
each  humble  object  before  him,  the  associations 
that  sprang  to  remembrance,  and  even  the  thou 
sand  inanimate  voices  of  nature, — all  spoke  of  the 


r,AUO   LARK).  175 

faithful  and  valiant  heart  that  was  at  rest.  Ho 
bent  with  infinite  tenderness,  and  kissed  the  stone 
on  which  his  dead  wife's  name  was  carved  ;  then, 
as  lie  mounted  the  horse  that  Almodoro  held,  the 
alchemist  whispered  a  word  of  encouragement. 

"  It  is  all  a  fool's  trick,"  muttered  the  duke,  as 
they  rode  forward.  "  Have  you,  who  spend  your 
days  in  the  scrutiny  of  strange  things,  ever  found 
a  queerer  puzzle  than  the  ups  and  downs  of  the 
world  '?  I  often  think  there  is  a  malevolent  force 
—  all  ages  have  called  it  by  the  name  of  some 
divinity — that  baffles  our  hopes,  and  mocks  at  our 
sorrows,  and  bewilders  the  future.  But  look,  they 
beckon  us,  let  us  on ;  time  presses  and  we  have 
far  to  go." 

They  trotted  ahead  as  fast  as  the  treasure-mules 
could  be  urged.  In  the  crisp  October  morning 
the  broad  rice-fields  mellowed  to  yellow  stubble, 
and  the  creepers  that  the  first  chill  of  autumn 
had  touched,  hung  in  crimson  garlands  along  the 
russet  hedges.  Here  and  there,  among  stately 
poplars,  were  farm-houses  witli  thatched  roofs 
that,  afar,  resembled  the  pointed  haystacks  on  the 
horizon.  At  intervals  along  the  leafless  forest  a 
cypress  stood  like  a  sombre  shadow,  while,  in  the 
misty  distance,  the  crooked  olive-trees  raised  their 
branches  in  tints  of  silver  grey.  The  air  Avas  still, 
but  for  an  occasional  hum  of  insect  life,  and 
so  clear  that,  as  they  advanced,  the  faint  white 


17C  SFORZA. 

outline  of  the  Alps  became  brilliant  and  glisten 
ing.  They  approached  Como  by  a  road  skirted 
with  villas  and  gardens  such  as  the  Italian  imag 
ines,  with  ancient  statues,  and  shady  alleys,  and 
shrubs  curiously  trimmed  to  the  semblance  of 
centaurs  and  dragons.  The  long  straight  walks 
were  strewn  with  tiny  twigs  and  leaves  of  last 
summer,  and  were  stained  in  places  with  a  dark 
green  mould.  There  was  the  soft  splash  of  water 
trickling  from  huge,  mossy  vases,  and  here  and 
there,  through  a  break  in  the  foliage,  struck  an  ar 
rowy  shaft  of  sunlight.  Upon  all  rested  an  atmos 
phere  of  delicious  repose,  of  high-bred  antiquity, 
as  though  successive  generations  had  delighted 
to  touch  the  lanes  and  arbors  and  parterres  with 
taste  and  refinement,  and  to  people  the  solitudes 
of  cool,  deep  shade  with  marble  images  of  poesy. 
Half  an  hour  later  three  large,  square-sailed 
barges  bore  Ludovico  and  his  companions  and  his 
treasure  out  of  sight  of  the  little  port,  with  its 
array  of  pink  and  lemon  Venetian  blinds,  and, 
along  the  quay,  the  tables  of  the  venders,  and, 
in  their  midst,  three  sculptured  Apostles,  whose 
gaze  was  wistfully  fixed  across  the  water,  as  they 
raised  their  broken  and  lichen-grown  fingers  in 
benediction.  Swiftly  impelled  by  the  long  oars  of 
the  boatmen,  they  steered  across  the  bends  and 
expanses  of  the  lake,  whose  glassy  surface  reflected 
the  rocks,  the  overleaning  foliage,  and  the  sun- 


LAGO   LAHIO.  177 

flushed    crags    in    ricli,    deep    coloring    of    marble 
tints. 

On  lofty  points  stood  vine-grown  towers,  while 
in  the  distance  appeared  the  Alps,  touched  in  the 
sunlight  with  opalescent  hues.  At  the  prow  sat 
Ludovico  and  Hermes  and  Almodoro,  gazing  on 
the  motionless  tranquillity  of  the  scene  before 
them,  and  heedless,  for  the  hour,  of  the  perils  and 
difficulties  to  come.  Hermes  had  more  than  once 
traversed  the  lake,  and  he  knew  the  names  of  the 
picturesque  villages,  with  their  quaint  belfries 
and  arcades,  and  fishing-skiffs  moored  in  the  shal 
lows,  where;  the  water  turned  from  sapphire  to 
glistening  emerald.  His  reverie  strayed  from  the 
sheltered  orange  gardens  to  the  olive  groves,  and 
thence,  by  imagined  forest  paths,  to  the  solitudes 
above.  Often  in  boyhood  had  he  listened,  at  the 
twilight  hour,  to  his  nurse's  fireside  tales  of  Lario 
—  of  the  village  where  she  lived,  of  the  castle  on 
the  heights,  of  romances  and  teats  of  arms,  and 
how,  on  iine  afternoons,  the  hawks  circled  tirelessly 
in  the  heavens  :  and  there,  yonder,  was  the  castle, 
now  ruined,  its  fragments  embowered  in  myrtle, 
and  above  it  a  sheaf  of  feathery  clouds,  and  a  pair 
of  hawks  soaring  and  wheeling  against  the  blue. 
And  there  came  back  to  him  a  quaint  remem 
brance  of  this  same  old  and  garrulous  nurse1,  as  he 
saw,  at  the  water's  edge,  the  great  rock  when;  her 
elder  sister  was  drowned  half  a  century  ago,  when 
12 


178  SFORZA. 

they  were  girls  together.  Then,  to  her  childish 
fancy,  as  she  often  said,  the  few  years  between 
them  were  a  vast  interval,  and  her  playmate  had 
been  mentor  as  well.  But  when  she  reached  the 
cares  of  middle  life,  and  reverted  to  the  holidays 
of  her  youth,  it  seemed  a  younger  rather  than  an 
elder  sister  sho  had  lost ;  and,  as  the  years  went 
by,  the  dead  girl's  memory  became  ever  relatively 
younger,  until,  looking  back  from  her  infirmities, 
she  remembered  her  only  as  a  happy  and  care-free 
child. 

Then  he  thought  of  Bianca  Rucellai,  and  be 
witched  his  fancy  with  the  picture  of  the  villa  he 
would  build  for  her  some  day.  It  should  stand 
upon  one  of  those  headlands,  with  the  purpling 
hills  before,  and  the  chirp  of  birds  in  the  air,  and 
on  many  a  summer's  morning  they  should  walk 
together  through  the  laburnum  groves,  and  de 
light  to  lose  their  way  and  find  their  love  anew. 
Now  and  again  the  duke  and  Almodoro  talked 
softly,  and  once  a  contadino,  wondering  at  the  un 
usual  apparition,  saluted  them  with  a  halloo  that 
reverberated  from  the  opposite  cliff.  The  amber 
brightness  of  afternoon  faded  to  the  violet  of  dusk, 
and  a  lethargy  stole  upon  the  scene,  as  though  the 
curtains  of  the  evening  had  been  drawn.  Far  away 
rose  a  thread  of  smoke,  and  presently  lights  glim 
mered,  and  they  neared  Bellagio,  "  the  place  of 
pleasant  repose,"  bordering  the  lake  in  a  dim, 


LAGO   LARIO,  179 

gray  mass.  At  length  tlie  duke  turned  to  Hermes, 
and,  breaking  the  spell  which  had  fallen  upon  them 
all,  asked  abruptly,  as  one  who  returns  to  an  un 
welcome  thought : 

"  And  the  duchess ;  you  gave  her  freedom  ? 
Wherefore  was  that  freak  that  she  would  not 
speak  with  me  ?  " 

"  Uncle,"  answered  the  younger  Sforxa,  with 
bitter  reproach  in  his  voice,  "  it  is  to  small  pur 
pose  that  I  tell  you  what  you  already  know — 
that  the  duchess  was  no  longer  in  the  castle  : 
whether  liberated  by  Bernardino,  or  put  to  death 
by  him.  I  cannot  say." 

Then  a  look  of  consternation  came  over  Ludo- 
vico  as  a  terrible;  suspicion  seized  him.  And 
when,  two  weeks  later,  the  news  was  brought  that 
the  impregnable  stronghold  had  been  yielded  for 
a  price  which  a  sarcasm  of  the  enemy  stipulated 
should  be  paid  out  of  the  treasure  it  contained, 
he  cried  aloud  ('so  says  the  chronicler)  : 

'"  Verily,  since  Judas  there  has  been  no  baser 
traitor  than  Bernardino  Corte  !  " 


CHAPTER   XI. 
FESTA  DELL'  OTTOBRATA. 

Six  weeks  had  elapsed  since  the  duke's  aban 
donment  of  his  capital,  and  while  the  French 
occupation  proved  costly  and  harassing  to  the 
Milanese,  it  did  not  bring  the  grievous  inflictions 
they  apprehended.  The  susceptible  populace  had 
been  vastly  impressed  by  the  numbers  of  the 
French ;  by  their  weapons,  whose  peculiarities 
added  to  their  formidable  appearance ;  by  the 
gorgeous  pageant  of  the  court ;  by  the  calm  and 
resolute  aspect  of  the  king.  In  Louis'  train  as, 
he  rode  to  the  ducal  residence  in  the  castle,  were 
Ives  d'Allegre  and  Cardinal  Amboise,  and,  among 
many  others,  two  youths  destined  to  become  fam 
ous, — one,  an  Italian,  the  son  of  Pope  Alexander, 
commonly  called  Cesare  Borgia,  but  now  styling 
himself  by  his  recently  acquired  French  title, 
Le  Due  de  Valentinois ;  the  other,  Pierre  clu  Ter- 
rail,  better  known  by  a  sobriquet  he  had  taken 
from  the  red  castle  in  which  he  was  born, — Le 
Chevalier  Bayard. 

When  the  first  overture  for  capitulation  was 
made,  the  French  showed  themselves  liberal  in 


FL'STA    DKLIS    OTTOJiJtA  TA.  181 

promises,  agreeing  with  Isabelle  that  she  should 
bo  restored  to  power,  and  with  Bernardino  that, 
in  addition  to  half  the  treasure  in  his  custody, 
he  should  receive  the  highest  honors  of  France. 
Whatever  expectation  may  have  remained  that  the 
fugitive  prince  would  return  to  tempt  again  the 
fortune  of  arms  was  extinguished  when  the  castle 
surrendered,  and  its  garrison  marched  out  before 
the  eyes  of  the  astounded  Italians  and  amid  the 
gibes  of  the  French.  So  fatal  a  weakness,  or  so 
vast  a  betrayal,  surpassed  comprehension. 

On  the  last  Sunday  of  October  was  to  be 
observed  the  poetic  Festa  dell'  Ottobrata,  a  holi 
day  when,  in  former  centuries  in  Italy,  the  towns 
folk  went  oiit  into  the  country  to  look  upon  the 
mellow  tints  of  autumn,  to  walk  in  the  vineyards 
and  taste  the  purple  grapes,  and  to  breathe  the 
fragrance  that  rilled  tho  air  with  odors  finer  than 
the  flavor  of  wine.  It  was  a  festival  of  pagan 
significance,  with  tho  archaic  dances  and  gar 
landed  processions  of  harvest  and  vintage.  And 
on  this  day  the  myths  of  antiquity  recovered  a 
momentary  influence ;  tho  old,  romantic  delight 
in  nature  rekindled;  the  forest  was  beautiful  as 
when  Irodden  by  the  silver-sandalled  huntress; 
and  across  many  a  meadow,  where  the  wild  flowers 
saluted  their  feet,  went  the  laughing  girls  and 
youths  of  sylvan  days. 

Early  in  the  afternoon  of  the  Ottobrata,  Yalen- 


182  8FORZA. 

tino  and  Le  Bayard  were  seated  in  the  room  which 
had  formerly  served  as  Ludovico's  antechamber, 
having  dined  with  the  officers  of  the  king's  house 
hold  at  the  usual  hour  of  mid- day.  On  the  mor 
row  they  were  to  be  separated  ;  for  Borgia,  with  a 
corps  of  French  and  Swiss,  was  to  march  to  that 
conquest  of  Romagna  which  was  to  be  the  first 
page  in  his  military  life  ;  during  the  weeks  they 
had  passed  together  on  the  journey  from  Paris 
and  in  the  engagements  before  Asti,  so  warm  a 
friendship  had  united  them  that  they  had  bound  * 
themselves  by  that  ancient  pledge  of  chivalry 
which  was  the  comradeship  in  arms  of  one  knight 
with  another.  Both  had  just  reached  the  age  of 
twenty-three.  Le  Bayard  was  thin  and  small, 
with  pale,  shaven  face,  and  severe,  refined  features, 
and  deep-set  eyes  that  were  filled  with  animation. 
He  was  nervous  in  manner,  given  to  quick,  incisive 
gesture,  and  possessed  of  great  muscular  strength. 
His  companion  was  of  larger  and  more  powerful 
build.  His  countenance  was  stronger  in  expres 
sion,  owing  to  the  high  cheek-bones,  the  aquiline 
nose,  the  steady,  unflinching  gaze.  He  wore  his 
hair  gathered  in  a  Spanish  net,  and  his  face  was 
covered  with  a  silky  auburn  beard.  Upon  the 
French  youth's  ascetic  visage  rested  the  inspired 
look  of  one  whose  ideal  is  of  unselfish  service,  of 
unsullied  duty.  In  Valentino's  meditative,  self- 
confident  mien  one  divined  the  adventurous  sol- 


FESTA   DELL'    OTTOBRATA.  183 

clier  aspiring  to  more  tangible  possessions  than 
an  illuminated  fame.  Borgia's  life  was  consist 
ently  vicious,  while  Le  Bayard's  only  passion  was 
a  mystic  liaison  such  as  the  morality  of  the  six 
teenth  century  condoned.  At  an  early  age  he  had 
been  fascinated  by  a  famous  beauty,  Yolande  de 
Fruzasco,  the  young  wife  of  a  Count  of  Savoy  :  in 
the  brief  acquaintance  of  their  first  and  only  meet 
ings  they  loved — but  their  fault  was  no  more  than 
a  spiritual  attachment.  Le  Bayard  was  wont  to 
declare  that  thore  is  nothing  so  ennobling  as  a 
disappointed  amour,  and,  however  this  opinion 
may  have  been  improved  upon,  it  is  certain  that 
he  remained  constant  through  lifelong  separation; 
until  his  death  it  was  their  habit,  once  a  year,  to 
send  to  one  another  some  trifling  remembrance, 
but  they  met  no  more.  Only  the  memory  of  those 
youthful  and  ardent  meetings  remained  to  Le  Bay 
ard,  to  become  transfigured  in  the  afterglow,  and 
to  be  so  cherished  and  exalted  that,  as  he  himself 
declared,  it  became  the  inspiration  and  treasure 
of  his  life. 

They  had  just  entered  the  room,  and  the  wine- 
taster  who,  Avith  a  page,  had  brought  in  a  flagon, 
was  performing  the  function  of  his  office  in  empty 
ing  a  cup  before  their  eyes  ;  Le  Bayard  seated  him 
self  as  he  cast  an  admiring  glance  upon  the  heavy 
Turkish  rug  with  which  the  floor  was  spread. 

"  Foi  de  mon  a  me,  !  "  he  exclaimed,  "  how  deli- 


184  SFORZA. 

cate  a  texture  ;  I  know  nothing  so  soft  to  the  foot, 
unless  it  be  the  mossy  paths  of  Dauphine." 

"  Soft  to  the  foot !  ay,  so  it  is,"  assented  Valen 
tino,  filling  two  silver  goblets,  "  and  sweet  to  the 
taste  is  this  wine,  and  more  to  the  purpose.  Let 
us  drink,  and  your  walks  shall  seem  to  you  like 
ways  to  the  celestial  gardens." 

"  I  love  not  these  wines  of  Montserrat,"  an 
swered  Le  Bayard  with  a  wry  face  as  he  sipped ; 
"  they  leave  a  resinous  taste  upon  the  lips." 

"  Some  day  we  wrill  drink  a  fiasco  together  in 
Rome — would  we  were  there  now  to  pass  this  Otto- 
brata  falconing  on  the  Campania  in  view  of  the  vio 
let  hills, — and  to-night, — bethink  you  of  this  night 
beside  the  Tiber — the  dreamy  music,  the  starlight 
reverie,  the  ruddy  torches  and  lanterns  reflected 
in  the  water,  the  glimpse  of  beautiful  women — the 
women  with  their  black,  glossy  hair  twdsted  in 
fantastic  coils,  their  great,  lustrous,  brown  eyes, 
their  necks  bared,  or  half  covered  with  a  crimson 
kerchief :  do  you  know,  Picquet,  they  found  such 
a  one  in  marble  a  year  ago  beneath  some  ancient 
rubbish — a  wood  nymph,  the  Venetian  ambassador 
declared,  carved  in  the  days  of  the  Caesars,  and 
the  very  image  of  one  of  our  Campania  girls.  All 
Rome  went  to  see  her — the  rabble,  the  learned, 
the  soldiers,  the  priests — more  than  all,  the  priests, 
for  she  wras  nude — and  as  I  stood  looking  at  that 
superb,  lithe,  sinewy  form,  and  studied  the  half- 


FESTA   DELL"   OTTOBRATA.  185 

divine,  half-sensuous  beauty  of  her  marble  face,  I 
thought  ho\v  many  generations  of  men  had  looked 
upon  her  with  tin  amorous  passion,  how  perhaps 
for  ages  to  come  she  will  inspire  that  same  mute 
vet  eloquent  worship  that  greeted  her  as  she 
stepped  forth  from  the  ruins  of  antiquity — but 
tush !  I  remember,  Picquet,  you  care  no  more 
for  our  women  than  you  do  for  our  wine." 

"No;  but  I  would  give  a  month  of  life  in  ex 
change  for  a  day  in  Home.  And  it  is  said  that 
from  the  Alban  hills  one  can  look  upon  the  sea — 
how  I  should  love  to  look  upon  the  sea ! — for  they 
say  there  sparkles  upon  it  a  thread  of  sunlight 
that  carries  one  back  to  boyhood ;  have  you  ever 
beheld  the  sunlight  sparkle  on  the  sea,  Cesare  ?  " 

"  Yes ;  and  this  morning  I  saw  it  sparkle  in  the 
eyes  of  a  girl,  a  daughter  of  the  banker  Kucellai ; 
I  have  wooed  her  in  vain  for  weeks,  but  to-night, 
at  the  ball,  we  dance  a  Moresca  together.  A  Span 
ish  fencer  named  Narvaez,  with  whom  I  practice, 
first  told  me  of  her,  declaring  her  the  prettiest 
maid  in  Milan,  and  saying  that  were  he  king  of 
France  he  would  carry  her  back  with  him  to 
Paris." 

"A  truce  to  your  talk  about  women!  It  may 
be  long  before  we  meet  again ;  it  was  last  summer 
that  we  first  met — how  long  ago  that  seems,  and 
to-morrow  you  leave  us." 

"  But  only  for  a  few  months." 


186  SFORZA. 

"  You  take  a  corps  of  our  best  troops,  D'Aubigny 
told  me." 

"  I  laughed  myself  to  sleep  last  night  thinking 
of  the  scattering  there  will  presently  be  among 
the  signorotti  of  Eomagna." 

"  For  so  ambitious  a  man,"  observed  Le  Bayard, 
"  I  think  you  were  at  fault  to  abandon  the  Church. 
With  the  help  of  the  king  you  might  have  suc 
ceeded  your  father." 

"  The  Church,"  repeated  Valentino  meditatively, 
"yes,  sometimes  I  regret  it.  To  live  outwardly 
under  the  greatest  of  all  restraints,  and  at  the 
same  time  to  be  habitually  in  emotional  relations 
with — ah  me  !  who  could  wish  a  happier  life  than 
that  of  confessor?  " 

"  This  Sl'orza,  whom  we  have  driven  off,  would 
have  made  a  better  than  you.  Amboise  told  me 
his  private  life  rarely  held  a  fault." 

"  He  is  a  singular  mixture  of  weakness  and 
strength.  He  will  yet  come  back  with  a  swarm 
of  mountaineers  to  fight  you." 

"D'Aubigny  will  trample  them  like  straw." 

"  Your  D'Aubigny  takes  things  too  easily.  Some 
day  he  will  be  caught  like  a  boar  that  has  eaten 
a  paunchful  of  acorns,  and  lies  asleep  in  the  sun." 

"  Ha !  "  laughed  Le  Bayard,  "  there  speaks  the 
Italian.  But  the  knights  of  France  will  not  be 
asleep,  and  they ' 

"  And  there,"  retorted  Valentino,  "  speaks  the 


FESTA   DELL'    OTTOBHATA.  187 

Frenchman.  But  no  doubt  you  are  right.  The 
lanzknechts  cannot  rn^et  you  away  from  their  de 
files,  and  it  would  not  surprise  mo  if  Sforza  were 
taken." 

"  I  should  like  to  see  him — that  is,  to  meet  him 
in  battle,  and  then  bring  him  into  our  camp." 

"Your  camp  is  not  large  enough  to  hold  all  who 
will  presently  cross  blades  with  you,"  answered 
Borgia,  piqued  at  the  unconscious  disparagement 
with  which  his  companion  often  referred  to  Ital 
ians.  "  These  Swiss  you  scatter  so  readily  left 
Charles  the  Bold  and  half  his  Frenchmen  dead 
on  the  Hold ;  and  when  you  confront  the  Spanish 
phalanx,  which  I  have  watched  drilling  and  march 
ing  at  Naples,  you  will  find  it  steady  as  a  palisade, 
and  worse  than  a  lighted  petard  to  lay  hands  on." 

"  Mordi !  "  ejaciilated  Le  Bayard  with  animation, 
and  unwittingly  forecasting  his  own  end,  "  how 
gladly  should  one  take  the  gift  of  death  from  such 
a  foe !  But  hark,  some  one  comes ;  it  must  be 
Cardinal  Amboise,"  he  added,  rising  to  salute  his 
Eminence. 

Valentino  remained  seated.  He  cared  little  for 
cardinals  :  had  he  not  been  a  cardinal  himself? 

The  door  opened  to  admit  the  diminutive  figure 
of  a  page  ;  Le  Bayard  muttered  a  curse  at  his  need 
less  punctilio,  and  Borgia  smiled. 

"  My  masters,"  said  the  boy,  "  his  Majesty  de 
sires  your  presence." 


188  SFORZA. 

At  this  summons  both  took  their  caps  and  fol 
lowed.  They  were  the  attendants  of  honor  of 
Louis,  his  companions  often  in  the  field,  or  at 
table,  or  for  an  hour's  chat  when  the  day's  task 
was  done.  Valentino  was  interesting  to  the  French 
king  for  his  graphic  descriptions  of  Italian  pol 
itics,  and  of  the  intrigues  of  the  Spanish  viceroy 
at  Naples.  It  was  not,  however,  for  relaxation 
that  they  were  now  bidden.  In  Ludovico's  for 
mer  library  they  found  the  king  seated  in  the 
capacious  leather  chair  which,  though  worn  and 
shabby,  was  infinitely  comfortable,  and  which  as- 
soeiation  had  made  a  favorite  with  the  departed 
duke.  Before  him  was  a  large  table  spread  with 
parchments,  and  furnished  with  the  meagre  writ 
ing  materials  then  in  use.  Among  these  Avas  a 
paper-weight  which  Almodoro  had  given  to  his 
patron ;  it  was  a  slender  crystal  stalactite,  and  the 
wise  man,  knowing  the  years  required  for  the  for 
mation  of  each  hair's-breadth  of  its  length,  had 
measured  the  centuries  upon  it,  and  marked  a  few 
famous  dates  with  a  spiral  silver  branch.  An  inch 
back  from  the  point  was  notched  the  last  Crusade, 
a  finger's  breadth  behind  followed  the  name  of 
Mahomet,  then  came  Rome  destroyed,  and  a  little 
higher  the  Christian  Era ;  after  an  interval  was 
Hannibal,  then  Marathon,  and  then  after  a  space 
the  Golden  Age,  and  still  further  Moses  —  the 
Pyramids — Babylon  ;  beyond  this,  the  stone  had 


l-'i:STA    DELL'    OTTOBRATA.  189 

formerly  extended  several  inches,  or,  as  Almodoro 
computed,  twenty  thousand  years ;  but  one  day 
Cardinal  Ascanio,  with  a  malediction  upon  the 
wizard  and  his  calculations,  cast  it  from  an  open 
window. 

Louis  was  carelessly  dressed  in  a  fleur-de-lys 
embroidered  cassock,  which  much  use  had  faded 
and  made  threadbare.  He  looked  weary  and  ill- 
humored.  Despite  his  easy  conquest  of  Milan, 
Italy  was  proving  as  troublesome  to  him  as  to 
Charles  the  Eighth.  His  generals  complained  of 
the  Swiss  ;  the  Swiss  grumbled  at  everything ;  the 
Venetian  alliance  was  found  to  be  but  a  name ; 
the  outcast  Sforza  was  raising  an  army ;  the  Span 
iards  held  menacing  language  from  Naples ;  his 
regiments  were  decimated  by  what  the  soldiers 
called  the  Italian  malady. 

At  one  side  of  the  room  two  clerks  stood  before 
a  wooden  dresser,  counting  gold  coin.  If  Ludovico 
had  failed  to  obtain  a  voluntary  loan  from  the 
Milanese,  his  successor  had  drawn  from  them  an 
unwilling  contribution  of  no  mean  proportions. 
Sequins  and  ducats,  almost  unalloyed,  and  struck 
in  large,  thin  pieces,  made  no  unmusical  sound  as 
they  were  dropped  in  heaps;  and  although  this 
noise  had  continued  monotonously  all  the  morn 
ing,  the  king  found  in  it  no  discordant  or  dis 
turbing  accompaniment  to  his  labor.  He  scarcely 
raised  his  eves  as  Le  Bayard  and  Valentino  entered 


190  SFORZA. 

and  saluted  him,  so  busy  was  he  writing  with  a 
long  swan's  quill,  that  made  a  loud  scratching  upon 
the  parchment,  and  with  which  he  was  tracing  line 
after  line  of  heavy  black  characters,  whose  illegi 
bility  attested  the  French  monarch  an  indifferent 
penman.  After  an  interval  a  door  opposite  the 
king's  chair  was  opened,  and  one  of  the  captains 
of  his  military  household  appeared,  followed  by 
the  ex-governor  of  the  castle,  Bernardino  Corte. 
The  appearance  of  this  personage  had  changed 
considerably  in  the  company  of  his  new  friends. 
His  face  was  pale,  his  eyes  bloodshot  and  hag 
gard,  his  dress  neglected,  his  expression  that  of 
one  who  has  learned  how  vain  may  be  the  promise 
of  a  prince.  He  bowed  to  the  king,  and  glanced 
in  recognition  towards  the  young  officers.  Louis 
looked  at  him  fixedly,  without  answering  his  salu 
tation  ;  Valentino  returned  a  cold  stare  ;  Le  Bayard 
averted  his  eyes,  and  Bernardino's  white  face  be 
came  overspread  with  a  deep  flush.  There  was  a 
moment's  silence,  broken  within  by  the  chink  of 
the  gold  pieces,  and  without  by  a  murmur  of  the 
harlequin's  games  wherewith  the  French  thought 
to  emulate  the  Italian  Ottobrata. 

The  king  pushed  his  writing  back  upon  the 
table,  settled  himself  comfortably  in  his  easy 
chair,  stroked  his  hair  down  over  his  brow  with 
one  hand,  while  with  the  other  he  toyed  with  a 
bunch  of  keys  that  hung  at  his  girdle. 


FESTA    DELU   OTTOBRATA.  19] 

"Messer  Bernardino,"  lie  began,  "I  have 
granted  this  audience  in  deference  to  your  urgent 
desire,  although,  frankly,  I  knew  not  that  we  had 
further  subject  for  discourse.  And  if  I  have  con 
strained  my  inclination,  it  is  not  in  recognition  of 
services  you  may  have  rendered,  for  they  were  to 
be  compensated  in  a  manner  agreed  upon,  and  the 
price  has  been  paid.  But  in  a  few  days  I  leave 
Milan ;  this  is  our  last  interview ;  therefore  I  am 
disposed  to  listen  to  whatever  it  may  be  your  will 
to  say." 

These  cold  words  smote  the  heart  of  the  rene 
gade,  and  for  a  moment  his  utterance  failed  ;  then, 
with  an  effort,  and  with  the  eyes  of  all  fixed  atten 
tively  upon  him,  he  said  : 

"  Maesta,  it  is  no  new  matter  that  I  would  speak 
of.  It  was  not  for  a  bribe,"  he  exclaimed,  looking 
about  from  one  to  another,  "  that  I  delivered  this 
castle.  Its  surrender  was  the  completion  of  an 
earnest  and  patriotic  design.  It  was  transferred 
to  you  as  a  military  necessity,  but  only  upon 
the  promise  that  it  should  revert  to  the  duchess 
Isabelle."  Then  his  voice  faltered  as  he  added  : 
"  Through  the  long  last  year  of  her  captivity  she 
and  I  watched  the  times  together,  and  in  the 
flight  of  the  usurper  we  read  the  opportunity 
for  her  restoration  to  her  own.  Your  faith  was 
pledged  that  you  made  war  only  upon  Ludovico, 
yet  after  all  these  weeks  she  waits  in  vain,  while 


192  SFORZA. 

I  am  hindered  from  seeing  her,  and  deprived  of 
the  child  she  confided  to  my  care,  and  even  refused 
admission  to  your  presence.  O  King,"  he  sobbed, 
in  a  voice  hushed  almost  to  a  whisper,  "  is  this  the 
honor  of  France  ?  " 

Louis  controlled  a  movement  of  impatience  at 
this  blunt  speech,  and  asked  : 

"  How  can  the  affairs  of  the  duchess  concern  you, 
or  by  what  authority  do  you  presume  to  speak  for 
her?" 

"  Sire,  I  have  more  than  once  declared  to  you 
our  love." 

The  king  struck  the  table  violently  with  his 
hand. 

"  Bernardino  Corte !  "  he  exclaimed,  "  you  fill 
yourself  with  vain  and  senseless  dreams.  Think 
you  that  the  Duchess  of  Milan  would  wed  with  you 
— a  mere  soldier  of  fortune  ?  " 

A  firm  and  complacent  assurance  appeared  upon 
the  countenance  of  Bernardino  in  place  of  the 
tremulous  anger  with  which  he  had  first  spoken. 
Then,  with  the  simple  conviction  of  one  for  whom 
no  doubts  exist,  he  replied : 

"  Would  that  she  were  here  to  answer  for  her 
self!" 

"  And  would  that  content  you — to  hear  her 
speak  her  mind  freely?  " 

"  It  is  not  I  that  need  to  be  thus  assured,  but 
you ;  let  me  but  meet  her  eyes  with  mine,  and  you 


FESTA   DELU    OTTOBRATA.  193 

shall  hear  her  renew  the  pledge  which  gave  me  all 
the  sweetness  of  earth." 

"  By  the  Holy  Grail,  this  favor  you  shall  have," 
answered  the  king  with  sarcastic  emphasis  ;  "  only, 
as  it  might  embarrass  the  candor  of  the  lady's 
declaration  if  you  were  standing  by,  you  shall  - 
withdraw  into  the  adjoining  room — a  tapestry  cov 
ers  the  entrance — you  will  hear  as  plainly  as  you 
hear  me  now.'' 

"But  after  that?  "  inquired  Bernardino,  warned 
by  some  prophetic  instinct,  "  what  avails  it  me  to 
hear  the  duchess  pledge  her  faith  if  afterwards 
I  am  restrained,  as  I  have  been  all  these  weeks, 
from  seeing  her?  '' 

The  king  eyed  him  quizzically  as  he  again  toyed 
with  the  bunch  of  keys  which,  in  his  nervous 
moods,  it  was  his  habit  to  swing  from  side  to  side. 
"  Rest  assured,  good  Bernardino,"  he  answered, 
"you  will  be  satisfied  ;  but  mark  me,  speak  not,  nor 
give  the  slightest  sign  that  you  are  near,  nor  let 
your  joy  wring  from  you  so  much  as  a  murmur — 
else  beware  !  '  And  the  king  motioned  Borgia 
and  Bernardino  to  the  adjoining  room,  while  Le 
Bayard  was  sent  to  invite  the  duchess  to  his 
presence. 

Isabelle  entered  the  room  a  few  moments  later, 

ushered  in  with  ceremonious  courtesy,  and  received 

by  the  king  with  an  affectation  of  debormair  good 

humor.     Her  handsome  face  had  acquired  a  care- 

13 


194  SFORZA. 

worn  look  in  place  of  the  haughty  resignation  of 
her  captivity.  All  hopes  of  recovering  the  duchy 
had  faded  before  the  evasions  of  the  French. 
Even  hsr  boy  Francesco  had  not  been  restored  to 
her,  nor  had  she  seen  him  since  the  night  he  was 
left  with  Bernardino  while  she  fled  to  Pavia.  He 
had  passed  to  the  custody  of  a  French  officer, 
while  she  was  left  unheeded,  save  for  the  clam 
orous  lett?rs  and  messages  of  Bernardino. 

The  king  drew  forward  a  chair  for  her,  and 
placed  himself  with  his  back  to  his  writing- 
table,  against  which  he  leaned ;  mindful  who  was 
listening,  he  at  once  directed  his  interrogatory 
to  the  subject  in  which  Bernardino  was  con 
cerned. 

"  I  have  sent  for  you,"  he  began  abruptly,  "  be 
cause  it  is  necessary  to  conclude  a  question  upon 
which  we  have  touched  heretofore.  You  have 
repeatedly  urged  your  claim  to  Milan,  and  insisted 
upon  the  advantages  that  would  result  from  your 
rule.  It  appears  that  upon  these  particulars  you 
had  a  covenant  with  the  officer  who  made  over  this 
castle  to  me.  Is  it  not  so  ?  " 

"  Sire,"  answered  the  duchess  with  painful  emo 
tion,  "  you  will  hold  a  helpless  woman  but  lightly 
answerable  for  what  she  says  or  promises  in  escap 
ing  from  a  cruel  imprisonment." 

"  But  it  is  nevertheless  true  that  you  had  en 
tered  into  an  agreement  with  your  jailer." 


FESTA   DELL'   OTTO BR ATA.  195 

"  It  is  true." 

"  He  asserts  that  you  made  him  a  solemn  prom 
ise  of  marriage." 

"  If  that  be  a  promise  which  despair  yields  to 
the  edge  of  the  sword." 

"  But  Bernardino  Corte  maintains  that  you 
freely  pledged  him  your  love  ;  that  you  would  wed 
him  now,  were  you  both  at  liberty." 

"  I  have  explained  and  answered  this  to  you 
before." 

"  Nay,  but,  for  the  love  you  bear  him,  answer  it 
now." 

"  O  king,  mock  me  not  in  my  misery,  else  may 
God  render  it  to  you  again !"  And  Isabelle  bowed 
her  face  in  her  hands,  while  Louis  stood  silent  a 
moment  in  involuntary  compassion. 

"  Suppose  I  restore  you  Milan  if  you  wed  Ber 
nardino,"  resumed  the  king,  "  will  you  take  it  and 
him  together?  " 

At  this  cruel  taunt  Isabelle  rose  to  her  feet,  and, 
with  face  aflame,  flew  to  her  besetting  idea. 

"Do  you  not  know  the  crime  which  links  that 
man  with  my  sorrow?  "  she  asked.  "  Have  you  not 
heard  that  it  was  lie  who  poisoned  my  husband, 
and  cannot  you  understand  the  infamy  of  being 
loved  by  him  ?  Can  nothing  make  you  feel  for  me 
the  shame  of  his  advances,  the  humiliation  of  his 
pity,  the  scourge  of  his  pursuit,  the  loathing  with 
which  I  yielded  to  his  conditions  ? — oh,  does  not 


196  SFORZA. 

the  thought  of  so  bitter  an  anguish  touch  even  the 
heart  of  a  king  ?  " 

The  French  monarch  and  Isabelle  confronted 
one  another  in  silence, — he  calm  and  sardonic,  she 
trembling  with  excitement  and  the  restraint  of 
tears. 

The  clerks  desisted  from  their  work  an  instant, 
and  from  the  piazza  came  the  faint  noise  of  drums 
and  merry-making  pipes. 

"  Then  must  I  tell  him,"  pursued  Louis,  un 
moved,  "  that  you  refuse  to  see  him  again." 

"  Strike  me  off  his  head  for  the  dullest  rogue 
that  ever  betrayed  his  trust ! "  ejaculated  the 
duchess. 

"  And  your  boy  Francesco  ?  "  asked  the  king, 
unable  longer  to  resist  the  prompting  of  his  mali 
cious  nature. 

"You  have  promised,  day  after  day,  to  restore 
him  to  me ;  let  this,  at  least,  be  realized,  and  the 
rest  may  go." 

"  It  was  but  yesterday  Cardinal  Amboise  spoke 
of  him  and  said :  '  Let  not  t/ie  icolf  cub  escape,  or  ten 
years  hence  he  will  return  to  vex  us.'  " 

"  How  can  an  outcast  and  beggared  prince  dis 
turb  the  king  of  France  ?  Give  him  to  me,  and  I 
will  take  him  far  hence  to  Bari ;  we  shall  neither 
of  us  ask  to  see  Milan  ever  again." 

"I  have  anticipated  your  thought  of  placing 
him  at  a  distance,  but  with  this  difference,  that 


FESTA   DELU    OTTOBRATA.  197 

it  is  best  tliat  henceforward  his  abode  be  in 
France." 

"  Sire,  I  am  powerless  to  dispute  with  you ;  give 
him  to  me,  and  together  we  will  journey  to  some 
secluded  place  beyond  the  Alps  and  live  together." 

"That  you  may  train  him  the  while  to  the  mys 
tery  and  silence  of  Italian  ways ;  that  you  may 
till  his  mind  with  ambitions,  and  his  heart  with 
hate  of  me.  Xo  ;  you  nrnst  be  separated.  I  have 
bestowed  upon  him  the  abbaye  of  Nourmentiers ; 
there  he  will  forget  his  unhappy  country,  he  will 
exchange  the  name  of  Sforza  for  one  the  Church 
will  select ;  instead  of  coudottieri  chiefs  he  will 
have  godly  brothers  for  companions  ;  he  will  learn 
to  resemble  the  last  drone  of  them  all — what 
ails  you?  why  so  pale?  You  dread  the  pangs  of 
leave-taking  ;  nay,  fear  not,  I  have  spared  you  this 
trial,  he  is  already  far  hence,  Jie  has  been  gone 
four  days;  and  for  yourself — you  spoke  of  l>ari, 
well,  nothing  hinders  your  going  there  at  once !  " 

"Inhuman!"  shrieked  the  duchess,  in  a  parox 
ysm  of  fury.  "So  long  as  breath  remains  tome 
will  I  pray  that  you  be  followed  by  the  sting  of 
my  curse,  that  the  cries  of  your  wounded  and  the 
faces  of  your  dead  may  haunt  you  and  blight  your 
days!" 

The  king's  lips  contracted  and  his  hands  clenched, 
but  before  he  could  answer  there  came  from  the 
adjoining  room  the  voice,  of  Bernardino  Corte, 


198  SFORZA. 

speaking   inarticulately,   gasping ;    a   heavy   crash 
followed,  then  all  was  still. 

Louis  sprang  to  the  door  and  threw  aside  the 
tapestry,  and  beheld  Ludovico's  faithless  lieuten 
ant  stretched  on  the  floor,  his  own  stiletto  plunged 
into  his  heart.  And  above  him,  with  right  hand 
uplifted,  stood  Valentino,  silent  and  motionless, 
gazing  fixedly  down  upon  the  bleeding  and  inani 
mate  form. 


CHAPTER  XII. 

LE    CHEVALIER   BAYAED. 

THE  military  faults  which  caused  the  discom 
fiture  of  Charles  the  Eighth  in  Italy  were  repeated 
by  his  successor,  and  with  the  same  results  The 
French  forces  were  distributed  along  several  lines 
of  operations,  and  when  the  outcast  duke  suddenly 
reappeared  at  Como  with  sixteen  thousand  Swiss, 
he  found  Louis  returned  to  Paris,  Ives  d'Allegre 
campaigning  in  Romagna,  and  not  half  the  French 
army  available  for  a  battle.  Perceiving  his  ene 
my's  weakness,  Ludovico  marched  upon  Milan 
and  entered  it  before  the  absent  regiments  could 
be  recalled. 

But  if  the  re-occupation  of  his  capital  was  thus 
lightly  effected,  the  French  continued  in  undis 
puted  possession  of  the  castle,  and  the  duke  was 
constrained  to  lodge  in  a  palace  on  the  piazza,  and 
to  distribute  his  officers  in  its  vicinity.  Among 
the  few  billeted  under  the  same  roof  with  him  was 
his  nephew,  Hermes  Sforza.  The  return  of  this 
youth  had  been  less  joyous  than  he  had  antici 
pated,  for,  upon  presenting  himself  at  the  Palazzo 
Kucellai,  he  had  found  that  magnificent  pile  de- 


200  SFORZA. 

serted,  and  had  learned  with  difficulty  from  a  tim 
orous  custode  that  his  sweetheart  had  fled  a  month 
before  with  a  cavalier  named — the  speaker  recalled 
his  name  with  difficulty — ah,  yes,  it  came  back  to 
him  now — Valentino  ;  and  her  father, — poor  man  ! 
the  sainted  Madonna  alone  knew  whither  he  had 
followed  them.  Then  Hermes  covered  his  face 
with  both  hands  and  wept,  and  remembered  the 
warning  of  Almodoro. 

The  day  following,  while  moodily  pacing  the 
streets,  which  had  lost  their  familiar  animation, 
he  bethought  him  of  the  fencing-master,  and 
straightway  found  Narvaez  unemployed,  living 
upon  the  sequins  which  had  rewarded  his  zeal 
at  Venice,  greatly  scandalized  at  the  vicinity  of 
the  French, — whom,  as  a  good  Spaniard,  he  de 
tested, — and  weary  of  idleness.  Whatever  qualms 
of  conscience  he  may  have  felt  at  sight  of  his 
former  patron,  whose  confidence  he  had  betrayed, 
were  perfectly  dissimulated.  His  first  words  were 
of  admiration  of  the  beard  which  Hermes  had 
allowed  to  grow  during  his  four  months'  absence. 
His  next  were  of  the  suicide  (for  so  the  French 
proclaimed  it)  of  Bernardino  Corte.  It  occurred 
to  the  unsuspecting  Hermes  to  engage  him  as  his 
personal  follower  for  the  campaign,  after  the  man- 
ner  of  officers  of  distinction,  who  frequently  en 
listed  a  fencer  in  their  retinue,  with  whom  to  cross 
swords  for  pastime,  and  who,  in  emergency,  was 


LE   CHEVALIER    BAYARD.  201 

more  than  a  looker-on.  His  proposal  was  in 
stantly  accepted  upon  the  attractions  of  good  pay, 
a  servant,  and  horses. 

If  Narvaez  resented  the  presence  of  the  French, 
he  expressed  himself  still  more  forcibly  at  the 
aspect  of  the  army  of  lanzkneclits  which  Ludovico 
encamped  on  the  outskirts  of  Milan.  Xo  such  ill- 
favored  troops  had  appeared  in  Italy  since  the 
descents  of  Saracenic  fleets  some  centuries  before. 
Such  was  the  levity  of  the  Italian  populace,  that 
they  marvelled  like  children  at  the  strange  cos 
tumes  and  uncouth  manners  and  rude  weapons  of 
these  mercenary  mountaineers,  of  whose  prowess 
and  ferocity  so  much  had  been  said. 

They  were  formed  in  battalions,  each  bearing  a 
flag  emblazoned  with  the  emblem  of  its  canton  : 
the  bear  of  the  Oberland,  the  bull  of  Uri,  the 
fish  of  Lucerne.  Their  costumes  were  of  various 
shapes  and  colors ;  all  wore  jerkins  of  cloth  or 
leather,  long,  tight,  striped  breeches,  reaching  from 
the  waist  to  the  ankle,  and  fitting  within  heavy 
untauned  shoes ;  their  helmets  were  of  leather, 
furnished  with  brass  rims,  and  profusely  studded 
with  nails.  The  officers  we're  distinguished  by 
iron  casques  decorated  with  coarse  plumes,  and 
those  whose  rank  entitled  them  to  a  horse  wore 
soft  boots  falling  in  folds  below  the  knee.  For 
weapons,  some  were  armed  with  long,  jagged  hal 
berds,  others  with  au  axe  and  cros-'-bow  slun<>'  at 


202  SFORZA. 

the  shoulder ;  all  had  either  a  sheathless  sword, 
or  a  bare,  thick  dagger  stuck  through  a  thong  at 
their  belt.  The  most  remarkable  feature  in  the 
entire  array  was  the  number  of  women,  many  of 
whom  carried  infants,  while  others  were  followed 
by  children  old  enough  to  walk ;  all  bore  immense 
burdens,  containing  provisions,  cooking  utensils, 
and  extra  clothing  for  their  consorts  in  the  ranks. 
Some  had  chickens  perched  upon  the  bundles  they 
shouldered,  while  others  were  attended  by  fierce 
dogs.  Such  were  the  "  Lansquenettes,"  as  they 
came  to  be  called,  probably  the  most  suffering  and 
miserable  of  their  sex  in  any  age. 

Early  one  morning,  a  week  after  his  return 
to  Milan,  Hermes  was  summoned  to  Ludovico's 
room.  As  he  passed  through  the  antechamber, 
the  pages  and  attendants  who,  without  undress 
ing,  slept  at  night  upon  tables  or  benches,  rose 
drowsily  before  him.  He  found  II  Moro  seated  in 
profound  thought  before  a  manuscript  map,  which 
he  scanned  with  occasional  reference  to  a  roll  of 
reports.  Between  the  windows  blazed  a  bright 
fire  of  pine  logs,  for  the  February  air  was  damp 
and  cold;  above  it  projected  a  great  chimney- 
piece  carved  with  the  temptation  of  Eden, — Adam 
at  one  side,  Eve  at  the  other,  and  between  them 
a  spreading  tree,  wherein  the  arch-serpent  had 
coiled,  and  whence  he  gazed,  as  though  in  mock 
ery,  with  outstretched  tongue. 


LE  CHEVALIER  BAYARD.  203 

The  duke  laid  aside  his  despatches  as  Hermes 
entered,  and,  motioning  to  a  seat,  was  about  to 
address  him,  when  he  observed  the  lugubrious 
expression  of  his  face. 

"Peste!"  he  exclaimed,  "are  you  still  brooding 
about  that  baggage  of  a  runaway  Ilucellai?  You 
have  had  a  disappointment?  You  will  have  a 
dozen  more  in  the  next  few  years.  Philosophy 
tells  you  that  through  life  the  things  that  be,  are 
merely  the  counterfeit  presentment  of  the  things 
that  might  have  been.  Does  not  that  bring  a 
solace  to  your  soul?" 

"My  uncle,"  answered  the  young  man,  "you 
would  not  jest  thus  if  you  had  ever  felt — 

"  Love,  you  are  about  to  say,"  interrupted  the 
elder  Sforza.  "  Listen.  I  seldom  speak  of  it, 
least  of  all  to  the  young ;  but  you  will  find  it  true 
that  some  men  seek  to  gather  the  love  of  their  life 
when  it  is  premature  ;  others  wait  till  it  is  over 
ripe  and  has  fallen  to  the  ground,  then  with  might 
and  main  they  shake  the  tree  ;  but  the  bitterest 
fate  is  his  who  mistakes  a  weed  for  a  flower,  and 
plants  that  in  his  heart." 

"  I  shall  ne'er  give  over  till  I  see  that  man's  blood 
on  my  sword,  and  in  her  face  the  crimson  of  shame." 

"  Be  that  as  you  list,"  replied  the  duke  care 
lessly.  "In  the  mean  time  I  have  summoned  you 
for  an  expedition  of  importance." 

"Not  another  visit  to  Venice?" 


204  SFORZA. 

"No.  This  time  an  inspection  of  the  outposts 
on  the  highway  to  Pavia.  Take  with  you  au  es 
cort  of  twenty  or  thirty  men — 

"  Twenty  or  thirty  men  galloping  about  the  out 
posts  would  rouse  the  whole  French  army.  One 
that  I  have  will  suffice." 

"  I  warrant,  the  same  knave  that  got  you  and 
himself  and  Barbarigo  into  such  a  quandary. 
Yes?  I  thought  so.  Then  put  him  upon  the 
worst  horse  you  can  find,  and,  if  the  enemy  ap 
pear,  clap  in  the  spurs  yourself,  and  away,  and 
perhaps  you  may  be  quit  of  your  precious  escort. 
Here  is  a  written  order,  and  a  map  of  the  way; 
gather  all  possible  information  along  the  front, 
and  be  back  before  the  Ave  Maria.  We  inarch  to 
morrow  at  break  of  day." 

An  hour  later  Hermes,  accompanied  by  Nar- 
yaez,  rode  out  towards  the  chief  outpost  of  Ludo- 
vico's  German  cavalry.  The  sun  had  risen  ere 
they  mounted,  and  now  cast  a  feeble  brightness 
upon  the  desolate  fields  whence  the  peasants  had 
fled  and  the  cattle  had  been  driven  away.  The 
only  sign  of  life  was,  upon  the  stubble,  a  company 
of  hungry  crows,  which,  at  the  approach  of  the 
riders,  filled  the  air  with  their  cawing,  and  flapped 
their  way  swiftly  out  of  sight.  But  presently  they 
perceived  that  the  outpost  which  was  to  be  the 
first  stage  of  their  journey  had  already  received  a 
visit  of  an  animated  nature. 


LE   CHEVALIER    BAYARD.  205 

Upon  the  retreat  of  the  French  from  Milan, 
the  Chevalier  Bayard  had  received  permission 
to  serve  with  the  rear-guard,  now  nearest  to  the 
enemy.  Observing  the  isolated  situation  of  the 
detachment  which  formed  the  Italian  van,  and 
which  numbered  only  three  hundred,  he  resolved 
to  attack  it  with  the  fifty  troopers  he  commanded, 
augmented  by  half  a  dozen  cavaliers  to  whom  lie 
proposed  the  adventure.  The  intended  surprise 
failed,  for  the  Germans  were  found  with  their 
armor  on  and  their  horses  harnessed,  and,  at  the 
appearance  of  the  French,  sounded  a  bugle  blast 
and  set  upon  then].  The  disparity  of  one  to  six 
delighted  the  eccentric  genius  of  Le  Bayard,  and 
he  galloped  his  little  band  into  the  midst  of  the 
enemy  with  so  fierce  an  onset  that  the  German 
centre  gave  way.  The  flanks  of  their  line  wheeled 
in,  however,  and  dealt  so  many  and  such  vigorous 
blows  that,  but  for  the  prowess  of  Le  Bayard  and 
his  companions,  upon  whose  superb  armor  the 
German  blades  made  little  impression,  the  result 
would  have  been  the  reverse  of  that  the  French 
had  designed.  Before  the  din  of  this  conflict 
reached  his  oars,  Hermes  beheld  the  cloud  of  dust 
which  the  trampling  of  so  many  horses  raised,  and 
which  floated  over  the  combatants.  And  drawing 
near,  and  hearing  the  war  cries,  and  beholding 
the  inC'cc,  he  unsheathed  his  sword  and  put  spurs 
to  his  horse.  Narvaez,  who  bestrode  a  less  fiery 


20G  SFORZA. 

charger,  dropped  behind.  Their  approach  at 
tracted  sidelong  glances  from  such  of  the  com 
batants  as  had  leisure  to  divert  their  eyes,  for 
they  might  be  the  forerunners  of  a  weighty  re 
inforcement.  Le  Bayard,  however,  wThen  once 
well  entered  upon  a  hearty  exchange  of  blows, 
cared  nothing  for  reinforcements,  and,  furious  that 
Frenchmen  should  be  held  in  check  and  buffeted 
by  a  foe  he  despised,  he  shouted  to  his  comrades, 
as  they  loved  France  and  valued  the  favor  of  fair 
women,  to  follow.  Then,  casting  aside  his  sword, 
wThich  he  had  broken,  he  grasped  a  mace  which 
hung  at  his  saddle  bow,  and  whose  weight  was 
about  four  pounds,  wherewith  he  dealt  such  pon 
derous  strokes  that  the  lanzknechts  fled  from  his 
path.  This  retrograde  movement  instantly  be 
came  a  general  flight,  and  Hermes  was  swept  awTay 
by  the  rush  of  the  fugitives.  With  such  hot  haste 
did  the  Germans  ride,  that  Le  Bayard,  who  led 
the  chase,  could  only  come  up  with  two  of  them, 
and  to  each  of  these  he  administered  a  blow  which 
sent  him  reeling  from  his  saddle.  The  like  must 
have  befallen  Narvaez,  whose  steed  lagged,  and 
who  was  little  accustomed  to  horsemanship,  had 
not  his  indifferent  mount,  aiicl  the  unskilled  way 
in  which  he  rode,  attracted  the  notice  of  the  brav 
est  and  gentlest  of  men :  in  the  instant  of  raising 
his  formidable  weapon,  he  lowered  it  in  silence 
and  dashed  by. 


LE   CHEVALIER  BAYARD.  207 

It  was  not  long  before  such  a  headlong  gal 
lop  brought  him  in  sight  of  Milan,  all  uncon 
scious  that  his  companions  had  drawn  bridle, 
and  that  he  was  now  alone  in  the  pursuit  of  two 
hundred.  At  a  bend  in  the  highway  he  beheld 
the  familiar  battlements,  the  lowered  drawbridge, 
the  sentries  on  the  walls,  attracted  by  the  fugi 
tive  cavalcade,  whom  they  discerned,  even  at  that 
distance,  to  be  of  their  army.  Eight  before  him 
dashed  the  lanzknechts,  raising  a  cloud  of  dust 
that  veiled  the  road  behind  from  the  wardens  who 
gazed  in  search  of  the  enemy  before  whom  they 
fled  in  such  suggestive  disarray.  The  sight  over- 
tempted  Le  Bayard's  military  discretion,  and,  sup 
posing  himself  to  be  followed  at  least  by  some 
of  his  comrades,  and  to  be  able  to  gratify  him 
self  with  the  triumph  of  seizing  one  of  the  gates 
of  Milan,  lie  plunged  across  the  bridge,  which  was 
immediately  lifted  behind  him.  He  saw  at  a 
glance  the  desperate  nature  of  his  position,  and 
measured  at  a  thought  the  dishonor  of  surrender 
ing  his  arms.  A  single  chance  remained,  which 
was  to  cross  the  city  and  escape  by  some  gate 
on  the  opposite  side,  where  no  alarm  could 
yet  have  been  communicated.  But  before  him 
crowded  a  hundred  of  the  lanzknechts,  who  had 
turned  about  as  soon  as  the  drawbridge  was 
raised,  and  from  the  ramparts  came  whizzing  a 
crossbow  shaft  that  glancjd  from  his  helmet,  and 


208  SFORZA. 

half  a  dozen  stones  slung  by  hand,  which  fell  with 
heavy  thuds  upon  the  ground.  He  brandished 
aloft  the  mace  which  had  done  such  redoubtable 
service,  and,  shouting  his  battle-cry,  "  France  ! 
France  !  "  dashed  into  the  thick  of  the  lanz- 
knechts. 

And  now  arose  the  din  of  a  singularly  dispro- 
portioned  conflict.  It  was  heard  even  on  the 
piazza,  and  faintly  reached  the  room  in  which 
Ludovico  still  sat  before  his  map,  measuring 
marches  and  distances.  Nearer  and  nearer  it 
drew,  till  the  duke,  startled  at  the  extraordinary 
tumult,  sprang  to  a  window,  and  there  beheld  the 
spectacle  of  a  French  officer,  encased  in  beautiful 
armor,  riding  a  wounded  and  exhausted  horse, 
dealing  furious  blows  at  the  score  of  men  who 
crowded  upon  him  from  out  a  press  that  impo- 
tently  yelled  and  gesticulated.  He  was  silent 
now, — too  hard-pressed  and  desperate  to  spend 
breath  in  war  cries.  The  duke  scanned  him  curi 
ously.  His  helmet  had  lost  its  plumes,  at  his  side 
hung  an  empty  scabbard,  and  on  his  breastplate 
was  engraved  Oar  Lady  of  Sorrows.  While  some 
showered  blows  upon  him,  others  flung  hand- 
fuls  of  dust  against  his  closed  visor,  to  blind  him 
through  the  sights.  Suddenly  his  great  bay  horse 
plunged  violently  and  fell  to  the  ground,  when 
both  were  overwhelmed  by  the  lanzknechts,  who 
tore  off  the  horse's  accoutrements,  and  wrenched 


LE  CHEVALIER   BAYARD.  209 

the  mace  from  the  hand  which  now  relaxed  in 
token  of  surrender. 

As  Le  Bayard  rose  painfully  to  his  feet,  the 
captain  of  the  German  Horse  claimed  him,  and 
led  him  away.  Ludovico,  looking  from  his  win 
dow,  followed  him  with  his  eyes,  and,  wondering 
at  the  chance  which  had  brought  an  enemy  sin 
gle-handed  into  their  midst,  ordered  that  the 
German  captain  be  summoned.  The  messenger 
had  been  gone  but  a  moment  when  Hermes 
appeared,  and  recounted  the  rout  of  the  outpost 
he  had  been  commissioned  to  visit,  dilating  upon 
the  extraordinary  prowess  of  the  stranger  they 
had  just  seen  disarmed,  and  upon  his  rare  mag 
nanimity  in  sparing  the  life  of  the  defenceless 
Narvaez ;  wdiereupon  the  duke  modified  his  order, 
and  desired  that  the  prisoner  be  brought  before 
him. 

An  hour  later  he  was  ushered  into  Ludovico's 
presence,  being  announced  by  the  name  which  he 
had  given,  Pierre  du  Terrail, — a  name,  of  course, 
unknown,  as  his  achievement  of  the  morning  was 
his  first  encounter.  In  the  interval  following  his 
capture  he  had  made  two  requests, — that  he  be 
allowed  to  bathe  himself  with  water,  and  be  given 
a  bowl  of  bread  and  milk  to  eat.  Having  been 
thus  frugally  refreshed,  he  was  conducted  to  the 
duke. 

Sforza  received  him  alone.  The  young  Freiich- 
14 


210  SFORZA. 

man  bowed  gravely  as  the  door  closed  upon  him, 
and  remained  standing  with  eyes  fixed  upon  the 
dark,  beautiful  face  of  his  enemy,  whose  appear 
ance,  and  the  fame  of  whose  dramatic  life,  were 
familiar  in  the  French  camp.  Sforza's  gaze  rested 
with  a  not  unkindly  interest  upon  the  spare  figure 
and  pale,  ascetic  face.  It  was  a  meeting  in  which 
Italian  historians  of  that  knightly  period  delight. 

Le  Bayard  was  clad  in  the  close-fitting  buffalo- 
skin  doublet  and  breeches  worn  under  a  suit  of 
mail.  About  his  neck  was  a  reliquary,  the  first 
gift  of  Yolande  de  Fruzasco,  and  from  his  shoul 
ders  depended  a  long  white  cloak  which  had  been 
rolled  behind  his  saddle.  His  hands  hung  down 
before  him,  carelessly  clasped  together ;  the  thick 
brown  hair  was  brushed  half  an  inch  down  over 
his  forehead,  and  fell  at  each  side  of  his  face  in 
long  straight  locks.  The  duke  remained  seated  at 
the  table  at  which  he  had  been  writing,  and,  point 
ing  to  a  chair,  addressed  him  in  French. 

"  Be  seated,  Monsieur  le  Chevalier,"  he  said ; 
"  you  must  be  weary  after  such  violent  exertion:" 
then,  as  Le  Bayard  took  the  place  indicated,  he 
added,  "  I  have  sent  for  you  to  look  more  closely 
upon  so  valorous  a  soldier,  and  to  ask  the  motive 
of  your  strange  assault.  Was  it  through  an  acci 
dent  that  you  entered  Milan,  or  did  you  think  to 
storm  the  city  single  handed  ?  " 

Le  Bayard  listened  with  an  air  of  curious  expec- 


LE   CHEVALIER   BAYARD.  211 

tation  to  these  first  words.  On  being  told  that 
he  was  to  be  taken  to  the  duke's  presence,  he  had 
wondered  what  could  be  required  of  him,  and  now 
an  amused  smile  came  to  his  lips  as  he  answered. 

"  Monseigneur,  I,  with  a  few  others  whom  the 
king  has  honored  with  his  service,  had  yet  to 
merit  this  favor  by  some  prowess  of  arms  ;  and, 
being  stationed  with  the  rear-guard  over  against 
Milan,  we  were  minded  to  charge  an  outpost  which 
lay  before  the  gate,  and,  becoming  heated  with  the 
engagement  which  ensued,  I  followed  across  the 
bridge,  unconscious  that  I  was  alone." 

Sforza  observed  him  attentively  as  he  spoke, 
and  remarked  the  dignified  composure,  and  the 
curt,  matter-of-fact  way  in  which  so  gallant  an 
exploit  was  described,  and  with  a  half-quizzical, 
half-incredulous  look  he  replied  : 

"  Your  blood  must  indeed  have  been  hot  to 
plunge  thus  into  the  midst  of  a  city  filled  with 
men  ut  arms." 

"  Par  la  foi  de  mon  ame  !  "  answered  Le  Bayard, 
with  a  Gallic  shrug,  "  Monseigneur  must  be  equally 
sensible  of  the  charm  of  danger,  or  ho  would  not 
be  here." 

"  Forsooth  !  "  ejaculated  Sforxa,  piqued  at  the 
wcrrds,  "you  have  set  me  a  good  example,  and 
King  Louis  shall  find  that  a  man  who  stands  be 
fore  his  own,  will  show  as  great  daring  as  strangers 
in  search  of  adventure.  But  I  sent  for  you  in  kind- 


212  SFORZA. 

ness,  to  ask  you  about  yourself  and  the  school  of 
arms  in  which  you  learned  to  fight  one  against  an 
hundred  ;  to  offer  you  refreshment — here  at  the 
word  it  comes," — and  the  duke  motioned  a  ser 
vant  who  had  entered  the  room  to  advance,  and 
to  place  upon  a  table  a  tray  he  carried,  whereon 
were  little  gilt  rolls  usually  served  to  royalty,  a 
crystal  saucer  of  olives,  and  a  Venetian  flagon 
encased  in  silver  filigree,  through  which  could  be 
discerned  the  words, 

Health,  Wealth,  and  Honor  be  his, 

Who  drinks  from  a  pure  and  moderate  cup. 

A  wine-taster  who  had  followed  the  domestic 
stepped  forward,  and,  filling  a  goblet  held  ready  in 
his  hand,  drained  it  at  a  draught ;  this  done  he 
filled  two  glasses  which  stood  on  the  tray,  bowed 
to  his  master,  and  withdrew.  It  was  a  wine  wrhose 
clear  amber  color  attracted  the  eye,  and  whose 
flavor  and  bouquet  possessed  so  soothing  an  influ 
ence,  and  produced  so  genial  an  exhilaration,  that, 
in  the  vineyard,  it  was  known  as  "  the  wine  of  good 
humor." 

11  Will  you  drink  ?  "  asked  Ludovico,  wrhen  they 
were  again  alone. 

Le  Bayard  rarely  used  wine,  for  stimulants  were 
contrary  to  his  habit ;  but  to  refuse  would  seem 
to  hide  a  misgiving  which  the  sinister  repute  of 
Italian  princes  might  have  suggested.  He  there- 


LE    C HEY ALTER    BAYARD.  213 

fore  raised  the  glass  to   liis  lips,  and  emptied  it 
with  the  Milanese  salutation  "  Felicita." 

"Answer  me  a  question,"  resumed  Ludovico, 
balancing  his  glass,  in  which  the  wine  of  good 
humor  sparkled  like  a  topaz  in  the  firelight ;  "  are 
there  many  in  the  French  camp  equal  to  such 
feats  as  this  you  count  so  lightly  ?  " 

"  I  am  the  youngest  and  least  experienced  of 
them  all." 

"  But  you  have  seen  military  service  ?  " 
"Pardon  me,  this  is  my  first  campaign." 
"  Then   in   what    cunning   school    of   arms  were 
you  apprenticed  ?  " 

"  In  the  school  of  a  hardy  and  abstemious  youth. 
My  father  served  the  king  until  enfeebled  by  age, 
and  from  him  my  brothers  and  I  learned  the  use 
of  weapons,  and  such  sports  and  exercises  as  be 
come  a  soldier,  and,  further,  to  read  a  little,  and  to 
write  our  names,  and  to  know  the  same  again 
when  written.  I  spent  rny  days  in  the  air,  among 
men,  and  thereby  escaped  the  vanities  with  which 
the  children  of  the  rich  cumber  and  exhaust  them 
selves,  and  which  it  takes  half  a  lifetime  to  cast 

^11 
. 

"Tell  me  something  of  your  home.  Do  you 
live  in  a  city  ?  " 

"  I  have  spent  most  of  my  life  at  our  Chateau  de 
Bayard.  My  first  boyish  recollection  is  of  being 
put  on  a  pony  and  taught  to  tilt  with  a  rod  at  a 


214  SFORZA. 

wooden  figure  fixed  in  the  ground,  which  was 
called  '  1' Anglais.'  My  delight  was  in  long  rides, 
especially  in  spring,  or  in  the  early  autumn,  when 
a  golden  flush  falls  on  our  hillsides  in  Dauphine. 
And  in  winter  I  scoured  the  forests  for  game,  and 
loved  each  day  as  well  as  the  brighter  afternoons 
of  summer  ;  for  you  know,  Monseigneur,  that  in 
France  there  is  something  cheerful  even  in  a  win 
ter's  morning,  as  though  a  little  of  the  September 
brightness  remained." 

"  Merely  riding  and  hunting  makes  a  dull  life," 
observed  Ludovico,  interested  in  the  odd  character 
of  his  visitor.  "  Did  your  father  never  take  you 
to  court  ?  " 

"  Our  fortune  is  too  scant  for  courts  or  journey- 
ings,"  answered  Le  Bayard,  without  hesitation; 
"  only,  when  a  tourney  was  proclaimed  at  some 
neighboring  city,  he  took  my  brothers  and  me 
thither,  and  hired  us  suits  of  armor  and  bade  us 
lay  on." 

"  He  must  be  a  tough-fibred  veteran,  this  father 
of  yours." 

"  He  trains  us  after  the  manner  of  his  own 
bringing  up,  whose  maxim  is  written  on  the  fly 
leaf  of  our  Bible,  that  nothing  purifies  the  spirit 
like  suffering,  and  that  the  grandest  things  in  life 
are  done  under  adversity." 

"I,  for  one,  should  differ  with  the  fly-leaf  of 
your  Bible,  and  say  that  the  best  efforts  are  those 


LE  CHEVALIER  BAYARD.  215 

kindled  by  love.  You  will  find  it  so  some  day 
when  you  marry." 

"  That  must  remain  a  lesson  unread  by  me." 

"And  why?" 

"  Because  I  have  taken  a  vow  of  lifelong  celi 
bacy." 

"  But  a  time  will  come  when  you  can  no  longer 
ride  fiery  steeds,  and  deal  hurts,  and  smite  the 
stranger.  And  when  old  age  steals  upon  you,  will 
it  not  be  a  sombre  life  to  look  back  upon — no  love, 
no  children,  no  pleasure,  110  solace  ?  " 

The  French  cavalier  answered  slowly,  yet  with 
the  fervor  of  a  young  crusader. 

"  So  few,"  he  said,  "reach  the  age  whereof  you 
warn  me,  that  I  give  it  small  heed.  But,  standing 
now  between  youth  and  maturity,  my  purpose  is 
so  to  serve  the  king  that,  when  my  vigor  is  past, 
my  conscience  may  pronounce  me  worthy  to  kiss 
the  earthly  sepulchre  of  Christ.  Think  you  that 
after  that  I  could  ever  be  unhappy  in  the  retro 
spect  ?  " 

"You  talk  like  a  sage,  and  you  fight  like  the 
knights  we  read  of ;  alas,  they  are  not  many  nowa 
days." 

"  I  shall  not  be  thus  commended  by  my  supe 
riors  ;  I  may  even  be  severely  punished." 

"  Punished !  and  how  do  the  French  punish  one 
another's  deeds  of  valor  ?  " 

"  My  folly  may  be  rebuked  by  ordering  me  to 


216  SFORZA. 

the  rear  on  the  day  when  we  have  the  honor  to 
meet  you  in  the  field." 

''You  have  a  great  thirst  for  the  giving  and 
getting  of  blows,"  rejoined  Ludovico ;  '•  but,"  he 
added,  "  do  you  imagine  that  so  redoubtable  an 
enemy  will  be  released,  now  that  fortune  has  put 
you  in  our  hands  ?  " 

"  I  have  already  agreed  with  the  captain  whose 
prisoner  I  am  ;  he  consents  to  release  me,  with  my 
horse  and  armor,  for  a  thousand  ducats,  and  that 
sum  will  be  paid  from  the  French  camp  to-mor 
row." 

The  duke's  interest  had  passed  from  curiosity  to 
an  admiration  he  did  not  seek  to  conceal. 

"God  forbid,"  he  said  abruptly  and  with  emo 
tion,  "  that  so  valiant  a  soldier  should  be  detained 
for  the  sake  of  a  purse  of  gold.  I  will  pay  your 
ransom  myself;  you  are  at  liberty  to  return  at 
once  to  your  comrades ;  and  if  this  adventure 
bring  you  to  the  presence  of  the  king,  say  that 
I  charged  you  to  salute  him  in  my  name." 

Le  Bayard  sprang  to  his  feet,  his  pale  face 
suddenly  aglow  with  delight  at  the  magnanimous 
spirit  which  released  him.  He  took  the  duke's 
hand,  and  would  have  saluted  it  with  the  courtly 
reverence  of  that  ceremonious  age.  But  Ludovico 
checked  him,  and,  drawing  from  his  finger  a  ring, 
gave  it  him  and  bade  him  God-speed,  and  caused 
his  horse  and  armor  to  be  brought. 


LE   CHEVALIER  BAYARD.  217 

And  twenty-three  years  after,  wlien  le  cJievalier 
sans  pei'.r  tt  .s-«».v  rcproclic  lay  dying  upon  an  un 
fortunate  battlefield,  lie  pressed  to  his  lips  the 
reliquary  of  Yolaude  de  Fruzasco  with  the  pas 
sionate  despair  of  cmc  who  dwells,  in  death,  upon 
remembered  kisses ;  then  his  gaze  turned  from  the 
strange  faces  of  the  Spaniards  who  crowded  about, 
and  rested,  it  is  said,  upon  the  ring  of  Ludovico 
Sl'orza,  as  though  its  sight  recalled  some  rare  and 
chivalric  memory,  worthy  to  be  cherished  even  in 
the  last  moment  of  life. 


CHAPTER   XIII. 

THE   MONASTERY   OF   DIVINE   LOVE. 

THE  advance  from  Milan  was  unobstructed  until 
Ludovico  approached  Vigevano,  where,  while  pre 
paring  for  the  assault,  the  Swiss  stipulated  that 
they  be  permitted  to  pillage  the  town.  But  when 
the  scaling-ladders  were  ready,  and  the  drums 
about  to  beat,  the  duke's  heart  smote  him,  for 
Vigevano  was  his  birthplace,  and  he  interposed 
before  his  hirelings,  promising  them  a  ducat 
apiece,  at  which  the  disappointed  mountaineers 
vented  their  anger  in  imprecations. 

This  was  repeated  at  Novara.  By  pledging 
the  sack  of  that  city  he  obtained  untiring  efforts, 
and,  such  was  their  appetite  for  the  reward,  that 
breaches  were  presently  effected,  through  which 
they  poured  with  irresistible  violence,  and  forth 
with  began  plundering  the  houses,  torturing  the 
women,  and  butchering  whoever  resisted.  Horror- 
struck  at  the  sight,  Sforza  again  interfered,  and 
bivouacked  his  savage  auxiliaries  between  the  city 
and  the  position  to  which  the  enemy  had  with 
drawn.  It  was  at  the  peril  of  his  own  life  that  he 


THE  MONASTERY  OF  DIVINE  LOVE.        219 

thus  plucked  their  prey  a  second  time  from  them, 
nor  was  their  loss  forgiven. 

To  a  busy  afternoon  in  the  bivouac  before  No- 
vara  had  succeeded  a  stormy  evening.  At  sunset 
a  mist  rose  from  the  rice-fields,  and  the  clouds 
grew  heavier  with  every  hour.  The  raindrops 
hung  in  the  hemlock  branches  until  an  occasional 
stir  sent  them  pattering  down.  Before  Sforza's 
tent  crackled  a  fire  whereon  a  servant  made  ready 
to  grill  some  mutton  bones,  and,  near  by,  a  table 
had  been  spread  with  bread  and  cheese  and  flag 
ons  of  wine. 

The  duke  lay  within,  asleep  on  a  camp  bed.  In 
the  doorway  sat  Sanseverino,  the  general  of  his 
forces,  muffled  in  a  cloak,  and  with  his  head  bound 
in  a  cloth  through  which  a  little  blood  had  oozed, 
and  at  his  feet  rested  an  empty  straw-covered 
fiasco.  Near  by,  half  recumbent  under  a  blanket, 
was  Almodoro,  with  eyes  fixed  upon  the  fire  as  it 
sent  showers  of  sparks  into  the  murky  darkness. 
In  their  search  for  firewood  the  servants  had 
brought  from  the  edge  of  a  neighboring  millpond 
the  debris  of  a  skiff  whose  planks  had  for  years 
been  alternately  soaked  in  water  and  dried  in 
the  sun.  When  tossed  upon  the  blaze  of  forest 
branches,  these  fragments  emitted  an  odor  as 
sweet  as  oriental  spice,  and  their  flame  brightened 
with  prismatic  tints  until,  beneath  the  alchemist's 
brooding  gaze,  their  lurid  embers  seemed  touched 


220  SFORZA. 

by  some  unholy  incantation.  At  a  few  yards'  dis 
tance,  two  wet  and  hungry-looking  sentries  leaned 
against  the  trunk  of  an  oak,  with  their  halberds 
resting  between  their  hands  ;  on  either  side  was 
the  encampment  of  the  army,  and  behind,  in  a 
low,  sombre  mass,  lay  the  city  of  Novara,  difficult 
to  distinguish,  save  where  a  lofty  glimmer  indi 
cated  a  watch-tower  on  the  rampart. 

Presently  the  duke  awakened,  and  the  servant 
was  withdrawing  from  the  coals  the  supper  he  had 
cooked,  when  two  figures  emerged  from  the  dark 
ness,  and,  passing  the  sentries  unchallenged,  came 
within  the  firelight.  The  first  was  Hermes,  and 
the  other  a  Swiss  courier  who  declared  himself 
the  bearer  of  an  important  despatch  from  Sforza's 
diplomatic  agent  at  Berne. 

Upon  hearing  this  the  duke  came  forward,  Al- 
rnodoro  and  Sanseverino  roused  themselves,  and 
the  grilled  bones  were  forgotten.  Ludovico  took 
the  letter,  then,  beokoning  the  others  to  follow,  he 
returned  into  the  tent,  where,  by  the  light  of  a  lan 
tern,  he  read  it  first  to  himself,  then  softly  to  the 
others  as  they  bent  eagerly  forward.  It  was  a 
curt  warning  that  the  Helvetian  Diet  had  passed 
an  edict  recalling  from  Italy  all  the  Swiss  troops 
serving  on  both  sides. 

Three  blank  countenances  met  Sforza's  as  he 
looked  up  aghast  from  the  parchment.  Almodoro 
was  the  first  to  speak. 


THE  MONASTERY   OF  DIVIDE   LOVE.        221 

"  Tliis  is  bad  news,"  lie  said,  "  Imt  it  cannot  be 
a  surprise,  for  it  Las  long  been  impending.  That 
Swiss  should  slaughter  S\viss,  in  a  foreign  quarrel, 
seems  folly  to  the  Diet  as  well  as  to  the  soldiers." 

Ludovico  turned  from  him  with  the  impatience 
of  a  man  who  finds  little  comfort  in  the  uncom 
promising  truth.  "  Think  you  we  could  continue 
the  fight,"  he  asked,  addressing  Sanseverino,  "were 
all  the  Swiss  in  Lombardy  on  their  way  to  the 
Alps  V  " 

"  No,"  immediately  replied  that  officer  ;  "  there 
are  four  Frenchmen  in  Louis'  camp  to  one  Ital 
ian  in  ours." 

"  And,"  pursued  the  duke,  thoughtfully,  "  it  were 
hopeless  to  tempt  the  Swiss  to  continue  with  us 
after  this  edict  reaches  them." 

Sanseverino  laughed  bitterly  at  the  question, 
then  checked  himself  with  a  grimace  of  pain,  and 
raised  his  hand  to  his  wound.  "  You  may  well 
say  so,"  he  answered;  "with  the  discontent  that 
prevails,  and  the  furtive  parleyings  at  the  out 
posts,  such  a  command  would  sheath  every  lanz- 
knecht  blade." 

"But,"  objected  Almodoro,  "the  Swiss  of  King 
Louis  are  the  regular  levies  of  cantons,  whereas 
ours  are  enrolled  as  volunteers,  and  are  not  sub 
ject  to  the  orders  of  the  Diet." 

The  commander-in-chief  shook  his  damaged 
head  moodily,  but  vouchsafed  no  reply. 


222  SFORZA. 

"  What  think  you,  Alinodoro  ?  "  asked  the  duke. 
"  With  troops  that  will  not  fight,  and  Time  that 
will  not  wait 

The  alchemist  interposed  with  quick,  decisive 
speech. 

"  Grant  me  this  hour !  "  he  exclaimed  vehe 
mently,  with  a  sudden  inspiration,  "and  if  you 
have  wit  to  profit  by  what  I  shall  do,  all  our 
troubles  shall  be  ended  within  four  days." 

"  You  rave  !  "  ejaculated  Sanseverino,  with  angry 
impatience.  "  You  think  to  sit  here  and  work 
charms  while — 

But  Ludovico  interrupted  his  lieutenant  with  a 
peremptory  gesture,  and  turning  to  the  soothsayer, 
at  whose  last  words  he  had  caught,  and  speaking 
with  the  breathless  interest  of  one  who  fears  to 
have  good  tidings  taken  from  him,  he  bade  that 
worthy  explain  himself.  Thus  admonished,  Almo- 
doro  unrolled  a  map,  and,  tracing  the  road  from 
Novara  to  Bellinzona,  said  : 

"  The  edict  will  obviously  be  sent  by  two  mes 
sengers,  one  to  each  camp ;  and  they  will  come  by 
this  route,  for  it  is  the  direct  road,  and  shorter  by 
a  day  than  any  other.  From  the  terms  of  your 
letter,  the  courier  who  bore  it  had  two  days'  start 
of  those  the  Diet  was  about  to  send.  Now,  sup 
pose  the  letter  destined  for  our  camp  miscarried  ; 
imagine  that  its  bearer  fell  into  evil  hands,  while 
the  other  pursued  his  way ;  would  it  not  result 


THE  MONASTERY  OF  DIVINE  LOVE.        223 

that  tlie  Swiss  in  the  employ  of  the  French  would 
forthwith  march  off?" 

"  But  these  rogues  of  ours  would  go  with  them," 
objected  Sanseverino.  "  The  vedettes  speak  to 
gether  daily,  and  such  a  mandate  would  be  known 
in  one  camp  almost  as  soon  as  in  the  other,  and 
would  be  equally  obeyed  in  both." 

"I  began  by  saying,"  retorted  Almodoro,  "that 
something  would  remain  for  you  to  do ;  your 
charge,  from  this  moment,  is  to  prevent  further 
communication  between  the  camps.  Put  the  Ital 
ian  cavalry  on  guard  outside  our  lines;  when 
Louis'  Swiss  march,  your  men  may  hesitate  ;  then 
offer  them  the  plunder  of  the  enemy,  guaranteed 
by  hostages,  and  fall  upon  the  French,  ten  to  one, 
and  destroy  them." 

"As  I  live,  it  is  worth  trying!"  cried  Hermes, 
who  had  listened  with  delight. 

"  Yes ;  but,  like  many  ingenious  plans,  it  takes 
much  for  granted.  Where  would  you  meet  these 
messengers,  or  how  identify  them,  or  how  dis 
tinguish  one  from  the  other,  or  how  escape  the 
dangers  that  would  attend  every  mile  of  your  way? 
Behold  the  road  ;  it  runs  in  rear  of  the  enemy. 
Yoii  would  be  made  prisoner,  and  might  think 
yourself  fortunate  if  you  escaped  the  fate  of  a 

SPJ7-" 

"  'Tis  true ;  and  true  it  is  that  these  are  timid 
doubts  of  yours.  Do  not  I  offer  to  render  you 


224  SFORZA. 

this  service  ?  Have  I  asked  that  any  other  shall 
share  its  peril?  I  only  say  we  touch  the  supreme 
instant  when  everything  is  at  stake ;  when  I,  for 
one,  am  ready  for  any  sacrifice." 

"  And  if  you  fail  ?  " 

"You  would  be  little  worse  off  than  now." 

"  He  will  not  fail,"  ejaculated  Hermes,  "  and  if 
he  can  forgive  my  rudeness  on  a  bygone  day,  I  will 
go  with  him  and  share  every  danger — and  dangers 
are  lessened  when  divided." 

"  I  thank  you,"  replied  Almodoro,  not  unkindly ; 
"  but  I  shall  do  as  well,  or  better,  alone." 

"I  beseech  you,  refuse  me  not,"  insisted  Her 
mes  ;  "  at  some  moment  I  might  serve  you  to  ad 
vantage,  if  only  with  a  pair  of  keen  eyes." 

"It  may  not  be  amiss,"  assented  Almodoro, 
reflectively,  "  and  bring  with  you  the  nimble 
swordsman  —  the  youth  with  whom  I  met  you 
walking." 

"  He  is  a  brave  fellow,  and  has  followed  me 
before  to  my  profit." 

The  alchemist  smiled  in  silence. 

"You  start  at  once?"  queried  Ludovico. 

"  Yes,  upon  the  instant ;  by  midnight  I  shall 
have  circled  past  the  enemy's  camp,  and  thence 
on  till  sunrise." 

They  took  a  hasty  leave,  Hermes  casting  regret 
ful  eyes  towards  the  savory  mutton  bones.  Ten 
minutes  elapsed  before  he  returned  witli  the  fencer, 


THE  MONASTERY  OF  DIVINE  LOVE.        225 

who  evinced  a  lively  aversion  to  the  company  of 
Almodoro.  Then  their  horses  were  brought,  and 
in  a  moment  they  were  out  of  sight, 

Before  they  had  ridden  half  a  mile  the  quick- 
eared  Narvaez  called  a  halt. 

"  Something  approaches,"  he  said,  listening  in 
tently  as  they  drew  bridle.  It  was  a  murmur  of 
voices— the  voices  of  men  singing,  and  the  tramp 
of  hundreds  of  feet.  At  sight  of  the  glitter  of 
torches  Narvaez  guessed  its  meaning,  and  led  the 
way  a  few  yards  within  cover  of  the  trees. 

It  was  one  of  Sforza's  regiments,  which,  hav 
ing  lingered  upon  some  temporary  service,  had 
marched  through  the  evening  to  rejoin  the  main 
bodv,  and  was  now  lighting  the  way  and  beguiling 
the  distance.  Nearer  the  singing  came,  and  at 
times  all  joined  in  a  chorus,  through  which  floated 
the  jodel  echo,  associated  then,  and  for  centuries 
before,  with  the  Alps.  The  head  of  the  column 
came  in  view  amid  the  glare  of  torches,  and  the 
long  files  trudged  after.  At  intervals  the  lans- 
quenettcs  passed  in  twos  and  threes,  and  these 
only,  beneath  their  heavy  burdens,  sang  not.  Now 
and  again  went  by  a  cluster  of  lanterns,  preceding 
a  couple  of  officers,  and  by  their  light  could  be 
seen  the  fantastic  costumes,  the  bearded  faces,  the 
bedraggled  plumes,  the  long  cloaks,  the  halberds 
with  fanged  and  glittering  blades.  Last  of  all 
came  a  dozen  footsore  laggards,  and,  mounted 
15 


226  SFORZA. 

upon  donkeys,  three  drowsy  friars,  the  spiritual 
guides  of  the  battalion. 

Towards  midnight  Almodoro  and  his  escort 
emerged  upon  the  highway,  the  branches  sway 
ing  in  weird  figures  as  the  alchemist  led  on  in 
silence.  He  alone  was  unarmed,  Hermes  being 
provided  with  a  pair  of  pistols,  then  a  formidable 
novelty,  and  the  fencer  with  a  short  blunderbuss, 
which  could  scatter  death  amid  a  troop  of  horse. 
When  the  morning  light  revealed  their  road 
stretching  between  lines  of  poplars  and  disap 
pearing  in  the  gorge  of  a  defile,  Narvaez,  who 
was  unaccustomed  to  riding,  begged  that  they 
might  turn  aside  into  some  woods  whence  a  riv 
ulet  issued.  While  their  horses  browsed  they 
breakfasted  upon  bread  and  mortadella,  which 
Hermes  had  thrust  into  the  saddlebag  at  the  mo 
ment  of  departure.  As  they  rode  forward,  the  sun 
appeared  and  dried  their  clothes.  Towards  noon 
Almodoro  unrolled  a  map  and  indicated  their 
whereabouts,  pointing  to  a  cross  which  Narvaez 
surmised  to  signify  a  graveyard,  but  which  the 
alchemist  informed  them  marked  a  famous  rest 
ing-place, — II  Monastero  del  Divino  Amore.  This 
monastic  hostelry,  he  said,  stood  in  a  fork  of  the 
northern  routes,  and,  there  being  no  shelter  south 
of  it,  and  to  the  northward  only  the  wild  spurs  of 
the  Alps,  whoever  passed  that  way  must  needs 
seek  its  hospitality. 


THE  MONASTERY  OF  DIVINE  LOVE.       227 

Five  miles  further  Hermes  spied  a  turret,  and 
presently  they  perceived  a  castellated  building. 
Their  approach  was  signalled  by  the  barking  of 
shaggy  dogs,  which  bounded  furiously  out,  but 
wagged  their  bushy  tails  as  the  visitors  came 
upon  them.  When  they  drew  rein,  the  oaken  en 
trance  was  seen  to  be  open.  It  was  studded  and 
braced  like  the  portal  of  a  fortress,  but,  amid  these 
indications  of  its  former  character,  was  nailed  a 
crucifix  that  betokened  its  conversion  to  a  spirit 
ual  stronghold.  The  outworks  had  been  demol 
ished,  the  chains  by  which  the  drawbridge  was 
raised  had  disappeared,  the  wooden  scaffoldings 
which  protected  the  rampart  had  served  for  fire 
wood,  and  the  ancient  loopholes  had  been  en 
larged  to  windows.  Over  the  way  was  a  stable 
and  a  blacksmith's  shop,  where  a  cheerful  sound 
of  hammering  went  on,  and  when  the  fencer  beat 
upon  the  door,  a  couple  of  unkempt  contadini 
ran  out,  while  at  the  iron-barred  casement  of  a 
porter's  lodge  appeared  a  chubby-faced  sacristan, 
peering  down  in  curious  scrutiny.  His  obser 
vation  proving  satisfactory,  he  addressed  them 
with  a  formality  which  delighted  the  Spanish 
heart  of  Xarvaez,  asking  what  their  commands 
might  be,  and,  on  learning  their  needs,  desiring 
them  to  leave  their  horses  opposite,  and  then  to 
enter  the  courtyard,  wrhere  he  would  be  waiting. 
When  they  had  done  this,  he  shook  each  gravely 


228  SFORZA. 

by  the  hand,  imitating  the  mellow  voice  of  the 
Italian  prelate  and  the  air  of  one  who  blesses  the 
universe,  as  he  begged  them  to  follow  to  an  arbor, 
where  they  might  converse  during  the  few  minutes 
that  remained  till  the  mid-day  meal  was  served. 

He  added,  as  they  crossed  the  court,  that  this 
happened  to  be  "  razor  day,"  and  jestingly  pointed 
to  a  window,  through  which,  in  passing,  the  last 
half  dozen  friars  were  seen  being  shaved  and 
freshly  tonsured.  They  noticed,  too,  in  the  corner 
of  the  sacristy  in  which  this  operation  was  per 
formed,  a  waxen  figure  of  the  divine  Bambino, 
equipped  with  tinsel  and  trinkets,  whose  inter 
position  had  worked  miraculous  cures,  and  from 
whose  presence  within  their  walls  the  monks  drew 
unspeakable  comfort  on  stormy  nights,  when  the 
wind  blew  and  the  devil  whistled  and  groaned 
through  the  tree-tops,  while  they  lay  awake  listen 
ing  in  the  dreadful  dark. 

In  reply  to  a  stream  of  questions,  Almodoro  de 
clared  himself  and  his  companions  to  be  a  patrol 
from  the  French  camp,  sent  to  meet  two  Swiss 
couriers,  who  were  to  be  hourly  looked  for. 

The  sacristan,  having  extracted  such  further 
particulars  as  to  their  names  and  histories  as  the 
alchemist  thought  proper  to  give,  vouchsafed  the 
information  that  this  was,  in  very  deed,  the  Mon 
astery  of  Divine  Love  ;  that  a  century  ago  it  had 
been  a  fortress ;  that  in  its  present  more  blessed 


THE  MONASTERY  OF  DIVINE  LOVE.        229 

state  it  was  under  the  protection  of  tlie  Virgin,  in 
testimony  whereof  the  "brothers  numbered  thirty 
at  the  time  the  abandoned  castle  was  made  over 
to  them,  and  now,  after  the  death  of  all  the  origi 
nal  members,  behold  they  still  numbered  thirty, 
all  in  good  militant  order  save  himself,  who  was 
growing  fat,  and  the  superior,  who  was  grown  sad 
ever  since, — but  that  was  a  long,  long  story,  and 
must  wait  a  season  of  greater  leisure. 

And  when  the  bell  rang  he  led  them  to  a  fountain 
that  rippled  over  from  a  marble  basin  whose  origi 
nal  whiteness  was  lost  beneath  a  deposit  of  mould. 
Here,  at  their  guide's  siiggestion,  our  horsemen 
washed  their  hands,  this  being  the  only  oppor 
tunity  for  ablution.  Upon  entering  the  refectory 
they  were  received  by  the  superior,  a  man  whose 
ascetic  face  reflected  something  of  the  austere 
gravity  of  cloister  walks,  and  whose  soft  accent 
declared  him  a  Venetian.  Unlike  the  sacristan, 
he  asked  no  questions,  merely  saying  that  they 
would  find  the  fare  simple,  but  that,  such  as  it 
was,  they  were  welcome. 

At  sight  of  him,  and  at  the  sound  of  his  voice, 
Hermes'  heart  almost  stood  still  an  instant;  for 
lie  recogni/ed  the  eccentric;  fugitive  to  whose  care 
Barbarigo's  brother  had  confided  him  in  Venice, 
and  Avhose  strange  story  had  moved  him  in  that 
anxious  hour.  But  the  superior's  glance  showed 
no  answering  recognition.  Doubtless  change  of 


230  SFORZA. 

dress  and  the  growth  of  beard  in  the  last  three 
months'  campaigning  had  altered  Hermes'  appear 
ance. 

The  refectory  was  furnished  with  long  tables 
and  benches  without  backs.  From  the  black  raft 
ers  hung  a  candelabrum  made  of  two  short  boards 
nailed  crosswise  one  upon  the  other,  with  a  candle 
stuck  in  each  of  the  four  ends ;  the  rope  whereby 
this  contrivance  was  raised  or  lowered  being  at 
tached  to  the  wall.  At  intervals  between  the  long 
lines  cf  tin  plates  and  mugs  were  wooden  salt-cel 
lars,  bowls  of  dandelion  salad,  and  fiaschi  of  vine 
gar-tasting  wine.  During  the  repast,  which  was 
served  steaming  hot  in  two  courses,  no  one  spoke, 
for  all  were  required  to  listen  to  a  discourse 
which  a  brother  read.  And  each,  at  rising,  bowed 
to  the  superior  and  walked  out,  the  friars  to  re 
turn  to  their  cells,  and  Almodoro  and  his  com 
panions  to  look  to  their  horses. 

After  an  inspection  of  the  stable  they  strolled 
along  the  highway,  and  Hermes,  after  deliberating 
with  himself,  resolved  to  make  no  mention  to  his 
companions  of  his  previous  meeting  with  the  su 
perior.  The  latter  had  clearly  forgotten  him,  and 
fear  of  his  possible  recognition  would  only  perplex 
and  complicate  their  plans. 

"Maestro,"  said  Narvaez,  addressing  Almodoro, 
"are  you  content  to  rest  upon  it  that  the  Swiss 
will  halt  at  this  place?  May  not  they,"  he  added, 


THE  MONASTERY  OF  DIVINE  LOVE.        o;ji 

with  thoughts  evidently  reverting  to  the  Moors  of 
his  Amhilusian  sierras,  "  stop  here  merely  to  water 
their  horses  or  to  change  them  ?  " 

"No  man,"  replied  the  alchemist,  "whose  occu 
pation  it  is  to  carry  despatches,  could  make  his 
horses  last  if  he  used  them  so  severely  ;  as  for  a 
re-mount,  you  noticed  that  all  those  in  the  stalls 
are  common  field  ponies.  Now,  there  being  no 
station  south  of  this  before  Novara,  and  none 
north  of  it  for  forty  miles,  we  may  presume  that 
they  would  leave  their  last  resting-place  so  as  to 
arrive  here  at  sunset :  hence  I  look  for  them  late 
in  the  afternoon  to-day,  or  to-morrow." 

"Were  it  not  wise,"  pursued  the  fencer,  who,  in 
the  intense  interest  which  absorbed  every  other 
feeling,  seemed  to  have  forgotten  his  antipathy  to 
Almodoro,  "  to  inquire  of  the  stable  men  the  usage 
of  couriers, — -whether  they  rest  here  the  night  ; 
whether  spare  horses  are  furnished  ;  whether  per 
chance  two  are  presently  expected  ?  " 

"It  were  well  done,  and  to  you  I  allot  it  ;  and, 
while  there,  note  minutely  the  doors  and  windows, 
and  the  access  from  the  rear.  Meanwhile,  Signor 
Hermes,  if  you  are  disposed  to  oblige  me,  you  will 
find  again  the  talkative  sacristan,  and  get  from 
him  everything  about  the  rules  and  ways  of  the 
monastery.  And  while  you  are  both  thus  well 
employed,  I  will  skirt  the  building  and  learn  if 
there  be  a  subterranean  passage.  We  will  meet 


232  SFORZA. 

hereabouts  within  an  hour,  and  bear  in  mind  to 
keep  your  weapons  always  ready." 

Before  the  appointed  time  had  passed,  they 
were  again  together,  and,  in  answer  to  an  inquir 
ing  glance,  Narvaez  said : 

"  The  stable  men  declare  that  couriers  pass  here 
frequently,  and  that  it  is  their  practice  to  rest  the 
night." 

"And  I,"  said  Hermes,  "found  the  fat  sacristan 
fresh  from  his  own  private  table,  looking  rosy  and 
contented,  and  smelling  of  onions.  He  smacked 
his  lips  and  told  of  fasts  and  vigils  and  retreats, 
and  then  he  entered  upon  the  story  of  the  su 
perior — how  he  was  the  last  of  a  Venetian  family 
that  had  given  a  doge  to  the  State,  and  that,  at 
the  command  of  the  Council,  he  had  left  the 
cloister  to  wed  his  cousin,  that  their  name  might 
not  perish.  And  after  he  had  lived  some  years 
with  her,  and  she  had  borne  him  two  sons,  he 
quietly  vanished  one  day  from  his  familiar  places 
and  returned  to  the  life  he  preferred — of  poverty 
for  the  glory  of  God." 

Then  said  Almodoro  :  "  I  have  found  three  pri 
vate  ways  out  of  the  monastery :  one  by  a  postern 
at  the  rear  ;  a  second  through  a  door  that  leads 
into  a  dry  moat,  but  which  has  been  so  long 
unused  that  nothing  short  of  a  battering-ram 
could  open  it ;  the  third  by  a  steep  path  into  the 
valley.  Moreover,  I  learn  that  we  are  to  sleep  on 


THE   .MONASTERY  OF  DIVINE   LOVE.        333 

pallet  beds  in  the  refectory,  which  will  answer 
perfectly,  for  we  shall  be  together,  and  near  the 
great  gate,  if  at  any  time  we  need  to  get  our 
horses.  More  than  this  we  cannot  yet  determine." 

"  I  have  wondered  all  the  morning,"  said  Her 
mes,  with  diffident  hesitation,  "  that  you  do  not 
resort  to  the  powers  of  magic  all  the  world  knows 
you  possess,  to  learn  something  about  the  Swiss 
couriers  and  their  whereabouts,  and  thus  dispel 
half  our  doubts  at  once." 

"  Foolish  boy  !  you  think  the  secrets  of  magic 
are  but  a  holiday  trick?  " 

"Not  so;  but  at  this  time,  which  you  have  your 
self  declared  to  be  the  climax,  the  gifts  of  each, 
be  they  great  or  small,  should  be  freely  contrib 
uted." 

"  Well  reasoned,"  answered  the  alchemist ;  "and 
a  process,  which  you  and  the  world  call  magic, 
shall  indeed  be  used  when  the  time  comes  ;  it  is 
for  that  and  for  nothing  else  I  am  here." 

"  But  the  time  has  already  come  when  it  might 
tell  us  what  to  expect,  which  all  our  conjectures 
cannot  do." 

"  For  that  I  have  not  by  me  indispensable  ap 
pliances." 

"  Then  we  take  the  chance  of  their  travelling  by 
another  route,  or  passing  here  without  stopping, — 
in  either  case  failure  for  us,  and  ruin  for  the  duke." 

"  We  must   accept  not  only  these  two  unfavor- 


234  SFORZA . 

able  possibilities,  but  half  a  dozen  others  far  more 
serious." 

"  But  iu  setting  forth  upon  this  expedition,  and 
in  making  the  declaration  you  did  as  to  its  results, 
you  certainly  must  have  had  something  more  po 
tent  in  view  than  anything  of  which  you  have  yet 
spoken." 

Almodoro  looked  about  him  to  make  sure  that 
they  were  not  observed.  Then  he  said  :  "  This 
grass  is  dry,  now  the  sun  has  shone  upon  it ;  let 
us  be  seated,  for  the  time  has  come  when  I  may 
explain  to  you  the  method  by  which  I  intend  to 
work,  and  the  way  in  which  you  are  to  second 
me." 

They  placed  themselves  at  ease  upon  the  green 
sward  that  bordered  the  road,  as  though  to  enjoy 
the  sunshine  of  the  pleasant  April  afternoon,  and 
the  fragrance  of  apple  blossoms  that  filled  the  air, 
and  the  delicious  restfulness  of  the  broad  fields. 

The  alchemist  spoke  with  a  familiarity  and  con 
fidence  unusual  to  his  distant  and  formal  bearing. 

"  There  exists,"  he  said,  fixing  his  dark  eyes 
earnestly  upon  them,  "  a  mysterious  power  in  na 
ture  whereof  I  could  give  no  rational  explanation, 
even  were  it  my  present  purpose  to  make  the 
attempt.  It  is  a  strange  and  secret  force  which 
one  person  exercises  upon  another,  whereby  the 
consciousness  and  volition  of  the  second  are  ar 
rested." 


THE  MONASTERY  OF  DIVINE  LOVE.        235 

His  companions,  filled  with  the  universal  dread 
of  mystic  influences,  listened  with  undisguised  as 
tonishment  and  awe. 

"  This  power,"  he  continued,  with  difficulty  re 
straining  a  smile  at  their  timorous  faces,  "  is  a 
magnet  with  which  phenomena  can  be  produced 
that,  to  the  natural  sense,  seem  prodigies  ;  the 
mind  can  be  projected  to  distant  places ;  commu 
nication  can  be  held  with  those  far  away  ;  the  clue 
to  things  deemed  unfathomable  can  be  grasped ; 
but  what  is  of  greater  import  to  us  is  that  the 
subject  brought  into  the  focus  of  the  magnet — or 
magnetized,  as  it  is  called — can  be  made  to  do  the 
bidding  of  him  who  exercises  it,  without  after 
wards  retaining  a  remembrance  of  what  he  has 
been  made  to  do." 

He  paused  to  note  if  this  revelation  produced 
an  intelligible  meaning  upon  minds  unused  to  the 
science  of  alchemy.  A  glance  exchanged  by  the 
young  men  satisfied  him  that  the  application  to  be 
made  of  this  principle  of  the  black  art  had  been 
perceived  by  them,  and  the  deference  and  intent- 
iiess  with  which  they  listened  showed  that  the 
witchery  and  intensity  of  their  companion's  nature 
had  seized  them. 

He  passed  at  once,  and  with  a  relieved  expres 
sion,  from  the  pale  of  the  cabala  to  the  common 
place  of  the  service  they  were  to  render. 

"  It  is  upon  this  agency  that  I  rely,"  he  went 


236  8FORZA. 

on,  "  and  it  is  necessary  that  you  be  alert  to  divine 
my  wish.  You  must  be  prompt  to  understand  my 
slightest  signal,  and  all  that  can  be  foreseen  now 
is  that  I  must  have  the  bearer  of  our  despatch  to 
myself  for  half  an  hour ;  that  I  must  be  secure 
from  interruption ;  that,  above  all,  the  superior 
must  be  kept  out  of  the  way." 

A  light  footfall  was  heard  on  the  road  behind 
them. 

"  Hush,"  whispered  Narvaez,  hastily,  "  here 
comes  the  superior." 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

AN   ALCHEMIC   MAGNET. 

THE  prelate  approached  them  with  a  fixed  and 
scrutinizing  eye.  "  I  understand  that  you  come 
from  the  French  camp  before  Novara,"  he  said, 
addressing  Almodoro. 

"  Yes,  we  are  sent  to  meet  a  bearer  of  important 
despatches." 

"  And  are  you  French  ?  " 

"I  am  of  many  lands,"  replied  the  alchemist, 
vexed  at  this  pointed  inquiry. 

"Your  speech  has  a  savor  of  Arabic,"  assented 
the  Venetian.  "And  you,"  he  said,  addressing 
Narvaez,  who  was  brushing  the  specks  of  dust 
from  his  doublet,  "  your  dark  skin  bespeaks  you 
a  child  of  some  southern  province,  of  Gascony, 
perhaps,  or '?  " 

"  I  am  a  Castilian,"  briefly  responded  the  fencer, 
with  the  haughty  accent  of  his  race. 

"  And  you,"  pursued  the  superior,  turning  to 
Hermes,  "should  also  bo  a  Spaniard,  if  my  remem 
brance  of  costume  be  not  at  fault." 

"  I  have  spent  much  of  my  life  among  Span 
iards,"  evasively  answered  Hermes,  raising  his 


238  SFORZA. 

handkerchief  to  his  face  in  his  desire  to  escape 
recognition. 

Before  they  could  be  further  questioned,  the 
wise  man  hastily  interposed. 

"  Twice  since  our  arrival,"  he  began,  '•  I  have 
sought  an  opportunity  to  reveal  a  hidden  purpose 
connected  with  our  journey,  and  if  you  and  I 
could  walk  as  far  as  the  bend  of  the  road ? "' 

The  superior  bowed  in  silent  assent;  he  would 
willingly  have  pressed  his  interrogatory  of  the 
young  men,  but,  finding  no  pretext  for  refusing 
the  confidence  of  their  chief,  he  followed. 

"  The  magician  will  ruin  all !  "  ejaculated  Nar- 
vaez,  looking  vacantly  after  them. 

"Fear  not,"  answered  Hermes,  laughingly. 
"  Though  Almodoro  talk  much,  he  will  tell  little ; 
I  only  wish  he  might  play  these  monks  some 
devil's  trick, — set  their  thin  blood  boiling  with 
fantastic  lusts,  or — 

"  Tush,  Hermes,  for  shame  !  " 

"He  has  played  wilder  pranks  than  that." 

"  'Tis  a  marvel  the  Inquisition  never  put  a 
tether  about  him." 

"  It  sought  to,  years  ago,  but  now  that  he  is  in 
high  favor  it  dare  not." 

"How  came  it  to  fail?  I  thought  the  Holy 
Office  never  failed." 

"It  could  never  lay  physical  hands  upon  him, 
however  much  it  scourged  with  ghostly  stripes. 


AX  ALCHEMIC  MAGNET.  039 

My  uncle  once  told  me  an  odd  tale  of  how  he 
escaped  the  Franciscans  who  had  followed  him 
for  weeks  ineffectually,  till  one  night,  as  they 
dogged  his  steps,  looking  to  see  him  vanish  as 
usual  in  the  wall  of  some  house,  or  melt  away 
into  the  shadow  of  a  tree,  he  was  seen  to  enter 
tho  palace  where  Ludovico  then  lived.  A  rein 
forcement  of  friars  and  a  squad  of  halberdiers 
were  summoned,  and  every  door  was  guarded, 
and  every  window  watched,  while  a  search  was 
commenced  with  swords  and  flambeaux  and  holy 
wrater.  They  ascended  the  stairs  in  a  body,  with 
exorcisms  and  clattering  of  sandals.  Arrived  at 
the  portrait  gallery,  there  came  from  its  dim 
extremity  a  shuffling  of  limping  footsteps,  and 
they  caught  sight  of  the  semblance  of  a  lame  old 
man  in  clerical  habit,  looking  back  with  fright 
ened  face.  It  was  Monsignore  Pasquale,  who  was 
lame  all  his  life,  who  had  been  dead  twenty 
years,  and  whose  life-size  portrait  hung  on  the 
wall.  The  friars  raised  a  hue  and  cry  at  the 
sight,  and  rushed  after  like  a  rolling  wave.  But 
Ludovico,  who  had  followed,  turned  instinctively 
to  scan  the  Monsignore's  likeness,  and  a  chill  crept 
over  him  on  discovering  that  a  different  person 
age  filled  the  picture.  The  wrinkled  visage  was 
replaced  by  a  beautiful  and  intellectual  head, — 
the  head  of  Almodoro,  and  his  body  was  robed 
in  the  magnificent  garb  of  the  doge  Giacomo  Con- 


240  SFORZA. 

tarini.  The  wizard  had  thrust  the  aged  and  infirm 
prelate  from  his  place,  and  had  substituted  him 
self  upon  the  board — himself  as  he  was  centuries 
ago !  And  when  the  monks  and  soldiers  were 
weary  with  chasing  shadows,  they  went  their 
ways,  and  lo !  next  morning,  Almodoro's  image 
had  vanished,  and  the  Monsignore's  had  slunk 
back  to  its  place.  But  look !  the  conjurer  beck 
ons  us  to  him." 

The  alchemist  and  the  superior  had  suddenly 
stopped  by  the  roadside,  and  were  looking  north 
ward,  as  though  attracted  by  some  expected  sound. 
And  Hermes  and  Narvaez,  following  their  gaze, 
beheld  two  horsemen  riding  at  a  trot  through  the 
defile,  both  dressed  in  brown,  the  one  wearing  a 
light- colored  felt  hat,  the  other  a  peaked  cap  and 
feather. 

The  shaggy  dogs  came  bounding  out,  with  the 
stable  facchini  after  them.  To  Almodoro's  dec 
laration  that  he  had  been  sent  by  King  Louis, 
the  Swiss  listened  stolidly,  nodding  to  one  another 
and  at  him.  And  answering  the  superior,  whose 
hand  they  reverently  kissed,  they  told,  in  guttural 
dialect,  of  the  road  they  had  come,  and  how  they 
had  ridden,  fasting,  all  that  day  over  difficult 
mountain  paths,  and  would  rest  the  night  and 
start  again  at  dawn.  And  they  acknowledged 
Almodoro's  information  to  be  correct,  that  one 
of  them,  named  Soprasasso, — he  with  the  leather 


AX  ALCHEMIC  MAGNET.  241 

doublet  and  gray  hat, — bore  a  despatch  to  Ludo- 
vico,  while  his  companion,  who  was  referred  to  by 
the  name  of  Caspar,  must  follow  the  road  to  the 
camp  of  King  Louis.  And  being  chilled,  they 
seated  themselves  before  a  hre  kindled  in  the  re 
fectory,  and  drew  off  their  muddy  boots  and  hung 
them  upon  the  andirons  to  dry,  and  sat  toast 
ing  their  stockinged  feet,  and  taking  one  or  two 
gurgling  draughts  from  a  fiasco  while  waiting 
supper.  And  Hermes  pledged  them  in  a  goblet, 
rejoicing  that  on  the  morrow  they  would  have 
the  trusty  escort  of  himself  and  his  companions, 
the  roads  being  beset  with  cut-throats.  And  Al- 
modoro  scanned  them  intently :  much  the  same 
build  they  were,  and  equipped  alike,  each  with 
his  courier's  wallet  and  thick  German  cutlass  laid 
on  the  table.  But  when  lie  asked  concerning 
their  despatches,  they  answered  nothing,  nor  did 
they  exhibit  anything  but  indifference  at  the 
promised  escort.  And  when  they  were  all  served 
with  ham,  and  bread  and  cheese,  and  eggs,  the  su 
perior  explained  that,  as  the  porter's  lodge  had 
already  been  occupied  by  Almodoro  and  his  com 
panions,  the  couriers  should  sleep  in  an  ancient 
guard-room  on  the  other  side  of  the  refectory, 
where  two  pallets  had  been  laid  for  them  on  the 
floor. 

The   couriers    eat    ravenously,   and,  when   their 
appetite  was  appeased,  they  returned  drowsily  to 
1G 


242  8FORZA. 

the  fire  and  disposed  themselves  comfortably,  like 
dogs  that  have  hunted  all  day.  The  superior, 
finding  no  opportunity  to  speak  a  word  to  the 
Swiss  apart,  left  the  refectory  at  vespers,  attended 
by  Hermes,  who  promised  himself  not  to  let  the 
suspicious  prelate  out  of  his  sight.  He  doubted 
not  that  Narvaez  would  find  an  expedient  to  draw 
the  courier  named  Caspar  from  the  room,  thus 
leaving  Almodoro  alone  with  the  bearer  of  the 
coveted  despatch. 

The  moment  approached  when  the  alchemist 
was  to  attempt  an  experiment  which  called  for 
his  most  occult  and  potent  science.  He  doubted 
not  of  its  success,  for  the  secrets  of  hypnotic 
magnetism  had  been  divined  and  mastered  by  the 
fraternity,  and  Almodoro  had  developed  the  mag 
netic  faculty  to  an  extraordinary  accuracy  and 
range. 

But,  to  the  soothsayer's  discomfiture,  Sopra- 
sasso, —  the  one  against  wrhom  his  art  was  to  be 
directed, — rose  as  the  door  closed  behind  Hermes, 
and  declared  it  bedtime  for  himself  and  his  com 
panion. 

"  Come,  Caspar,"  he  said,  giving  that  individual 
a  nudge  that  made  him  open  his  sleepy  eyes ; 
"  come  and  help  me  examine  the  fastenings ;  rouse 
up,  man ;  do  you  not  know  we  have  but  little  over 
seven  hours  before  us  ?  and  that  is  barely  enough 
for  a  tolerable  nap." 


AN  ALCHEMIC  MAGNET.  343 

"  I  have  several  matters  upon  which  to  consult 
you,"  resolutely  interposed  Almodoro,  determined 
to  detain  him  ;  "  send  Caspar  to  examine  the  fas 
tenings,  and  let  us  consider  the  route  to  your 
destination." 

"  The  route  is  straight  ahead,"  retorted  the 
Swiss,  upon  whom  Almodoro's  advances  had  pro 
duced  an  unfavorable  impression. 

"  But  we  have  not  even  fixed  the  hour  for  start 
ing,"  urged  the  alchemist,  rising  from  his  seat  with 
a  movement  of  impatience. 

"  We  start  at  dawn,"  answered  the  courier,  with 
a  gesture  of  derision,  "  and  if  you  must  know  more 
exactly,  you  have  but  to  keep  watch  through  the 
night ; "  and,  taking  a  rushlight  from  the  table,  lie 
opened  the  door  that  communicated  with  the  ad 
joining  guard-room,  and  closed  it  sharply  behind 
him. 

Narvaez  followed  his  retreating  figure  with  a 
look  of  blank  dismay,  but  Almodoro  had  already 
found  an  alternative. 

Ho  caught  Caspar  by  the  arm  as  he  made  ready 
to  follow,  and,  looking  with  good-natured  earnest 
ness  in  his  face,  said  : 

"  Your  mate  has  curt  ways,  and  I  like  him, 
though  not  so  well  as  you,  for  your  wit  is  the 
keener,  and  your  insight  the  more  practical. 
With  such  a  mind  you  will  be  to  blame  if  you 
put  not  by  a  big  sack  of  ducats  to  comfort  your 


244  SFORZA. 

old  age.  If  you  will  listen  a  moment,  while  So- 
prasasso  is  getting  to  bed,  I  will  tell  you  a  secret 
that  will  add  a  yellow  handful  to  your  savings." 

"  Speak  it  briefly  then,"  muttered  the  Swiss  ;  "  I 
have  no  time  for  lengthy  tales." 

They  seated  themselves,  side  by  side,  before 
the  fire,  and  Almodoro  applied  himself  instantly, 
and  with  intense  earnestness,  to  securing  the 
attention  and  interest  of  the  dull  intelligence  that 
listened. 

"  A  courier's  is  a  hard  life,"*he  said  quickly, — 
"  at  least  you  should  be  well  paid  for  such  con 
stant  exposure." 

"  More  copper  than  silver,"  answered  Caspar 
sententiously,  with  the  air  of  one  who  speaks  a 
profound  and  melancholy  truth. 

"  And  I  say  I  can  put  you  in  the  way  of  some 
thing  better  than  silver,  if  you  will." 

The  courier  rubbed  his  knees  reflectively,  and 
turned  his  heavy  face  full  upon  the  alchemist 
with  a  look  of  silent  interrogation. 

"  I  can  make  your  fortune  ;  I  need  just  such  a 
trusty  fellow  as  you  for  a  delicate  service  where 
whoso  can  hold  his  tongue  will  be  free  to  fill 
his  pockets." 

"  What  with  ?  "  asked  the  Swiss,  losing  interest 
in  the  fire. 

"  With  ducats  that  have  lain  buried  since  the 
time  of  the  first  Visconti." 


AN  ALCHEMIC  MAGNET. 


245 


"  And  you  know  where  they  are  hidden  ?  " 

"They  are  to  be  found  by  a  divining-rod,  which 
reveals  treasure  under  ground  as  accurately  as 
the  eye  perceives  a  light  through  the  darkness." 

"  Do  you  offer  me  a  handful  of  these  ducats  ?  " 

"Yes,  if  you  will  do  what  I  ask." 

"  And  what  is  that  ?  " 

The  voice  of  Soprasasso  was  heard  calling  an 
grily  from  the  next  room  : 

"  To  bed,  Caspar,  or  I  will  put  out  the  light !  " 

Almodoro  whispered  quickly  :  "  Tell  him  to 
leave  the  light  burning  and  to  go  to  sleep  ;  say 
that  you  will  come  in  a  moment." 

When  this  answer  had  been  made,  the  alche 
mist,  dreading  to  see  his  prey  escape,  went  on  in 
a  hurried  undertone. 

"Before  I  reveal  all,"  he  said,  "you  must  pledge 
secrecy  :  put  your  hand  in  mine, — so, — look  me 
straight  in  the  eyes;  speak  not,— I  shall  believe 
you  honest  if  you  look  upon  me  fixedly." 

They  sat  thus  hand  in  hand  by  the  flickering 
logs,  each  with  his  eyes  riveted  upon  the  other's, 
the  Swi£'>s  grown  suddenly  rigid,  as  though  touched 
by  a  magnetic  fire.  Then  his  respiration  quick 
ened,  his  eyelids  drooped,  while  behind  leaned 
Narvaez,  watching  with  beating  heart  what  ho 
doubted  not  to  be  a  manifestation  of  the  devil. 
During  this  interval  a  fantastic  vision  possessed 
the  imagination  of  the  Swiss.  His  fancy  had  been 


246  SFORZA. 

kindled  by  the  last  words  spoken,  and  by  the 
thought  of  the  magical  divining-rod  ;  and  now,  for  a 
single  moment — which  seemed  an  hour,  so  crowded 
was  it  with  tumultuous  and  weird  impressions- 
he  beheld  the  conjurer  walking  at  night,  through 
strange  and  solitary  places,  in  search  of  treasure, 
and  finding  it  in  stacks  of  curious  and  outlandish 
coin,  and  heaps  of  glittering  gems,  and  piles  of 
cups  and  sacred  vessels ;  and  behind  all  flitted 
lurid  lights  and  demon  faces,  that  suddenly  grew 
dim  as  everything  faded  in  a  vague  unconscious 
ness,  across  which  the  alchemist's  next  words 
came  from  a  distance,  with  faint  and  solemn 
sound. 

Several  minutes  passed ;  then  Almodoro  dropped 
the  hand  he  held,  and  breathed  a  sigh  of  infinite 
relief. 

"Fold  your  hands  together,"  he  said  to  the 
Swiss. 

Instinctively  the  courier  clasped  them  one  upon 
the  other. 

"  Stand  up  and  walk  to  the  window  ;  do  you  see 
the  window  there  before  you  ?  " 

With  a  slow,  hesitating  action  the  order  was 
performed. 

''  Give  me  the  despatch  from  your  wallet." 

Caspar  fixed  his  eyes  vaguely  upon  the  leather 
travelling-bag  which  lay  upon  the  table  ;  then  with 
difficulty,  as  one  who  comprehends  imperfectly 


^IJV  ALCHEMIC  NACfXET.  047 

what  is  required,  lie  undid  the  strap  and  drew  out 
a  sealed  envelope. 

"Now  put  it  back  precisely  as  it  was,"  said 
Almodoro,  after  a  glance  at  the  superscription. 
"You  understand  me  when  I  speak?"  he  added, 
after  this  had  been  done. 

"  Yes,  perfectly." 

"  Then  tell  me  if  your  companion's  wallet  con 
tains  a  letter  similar  to  yours." 

"He  has  the  counterpart  to  mine,"  said  Caspar, 
after  a  moment's  intense  thought,  "but  I  cannot 
remember  what  is  written  upon  it." 

"  And  do  you  know  what  is  in  his  letter  or  in 
yours  ?  " 

"  They  contain  orders,  but  I  know  neither  the 
words  nor  their  meaning." 

"Do  you  see  objects  about  you?  " 

"  I  see  you  speaking  to  me." 

"But  do  you  not  see  this  table  and  the  fire  ?  " 

"  Ah,  yes  ;  now  I  see  them  clearly." 

"  Have  you  been  in  the  room  in  which  you  are 
to  sleep  ?  " 

"  I  know  not." 

"  It  is  the  room  beside  this ;  see  the  door  to  it 
before  us  ;  it  is  there  your  companion,  Soprasasso, 
awaits  you." 

"  Soprasasso  ?  " 

"  Yes  ;  he  who  rides  with  you  and  carries  a 
despatch." 


248  SFOItZA. 

"  You  are  right ;  I  know  the  man." 

"  I  wish  you  to  enter  that  room  noiselessly,  and 
to  bring  me  Soprasasso's  wallet." 

The  magnetized  courier  turned  towards  the  door 
which  had  been  indicated,  and  was  about  to  ap 
proach  it. 

"  Wait,"  interposed  the  alchemist ;  "  I  have  not 
yet  given  you  the  information  with  which  you 
must  be  prepared.  On  the  floor  of  the  adjoining 
room  are  two  pallets.  One  is  for  you ;  the  other 
is  occupied  by  Soprasasso." 

"  Has  he  gone  to  bed  ?  " 

"  Yes ;  but  he  will  be  sure  to  speak,  and  you 
must  answer." 

"What  shall  I  say?" 

"  You  are  to  answer  thus  :  Hush  :  make  no  noise : 
the  monastery  is  asleep.  I  long  to  sleep,  too — and  so 
good-night  until  the  morrow" 

"  Will  I  be  able  to  see  in  that  room  ?  " 

"Yes,  because  the  rushlight  has  been  left  for 
you  to  put  out." 

"  But  where  shall  I  find  the  wallet  ?  " 

"  This  youth  who  stands  beside  me  has  watched 
Soprasasso,  and  the  wrallet  lies  on  the  floor  be 
tween  the  two  beds.  First  put  out  the  light ;  then 
lay  your  own  wallet,  which  I  put  in  your  hands, 
on  the  floor,  in  the  place  of  the  one  which  now 
lies  there,  and  which  you  are  to  bring  to  me  very 
softly,  as  soon  as  Soprasasso  sleeps.  And  re- 


AN  ALCHEMIC  MAGXET.  249 

member  tliat  the  instant  you  are  in  that  room, 
yon  must  bolt  the  door  behind  you.  Do  you 
understand  it  all  clearly  ?  " 

"  Not  so  clearly  but  that  I  would  hear  it  again 
in  order." 

When  the  soothsayer  had  complied  with  this 
request,  amplifying  his  instructions  with  extreme 
minuteness  and  precision  of  detail,  the  Swiss 
walked  unhesitatingly  to  the  door,  went  out,  and 
closed  and  bolted  it  behind  him. 

"  Master,"  exclaimed  Narvaez,  "  would  he  now 
do  anything  that  you  command?  " 

"  You  see  for  yourself." 

"  Woiild  he  kill  Soprasasso  ?  " 

"  He  would  try  if  I  bade  him — with  the  prob 
ability  of  rousing  the  monastery ;  with  the  cer 
tainty  of  spoiling  the  most  ingenious  feature  of 
our  plan ;  and  with  the  chance  of  being  worsted 
after  all." 

The  fencer  looked  unconvinced. 

"  It  is  necessary,"  pursued  the  wise  man,  as 
though  speaking  to  himself,  "  that  these  fellows 
shall  go  011  their  way  to-morrow  unconscious  that 
anything  has  befallen.  How  long  the  dunce 
takes !" 

"  Shall  I  listen  at  their  door?" 

"That  were  useless.  If  there  be  any  noise — if 
Caspar  fails,  you  will — 

"  Listen.     They  are  talking." 


250  SFORZA. 

"  No ;  it  is  a  step.  Hark,  he  draws  back  the 
bolt — he  comes  ! " 

The  lights  in  the  refectory  had  been  extin 
guished,  the  fire  burned  low,  all  was  dark  and 
still.  The  door  opened  and  Caspar  entered,  hold 
ing  Soprasasso's  wallet.  Narvaez  softly  closed  the 
door  behind  him,  and  the  alchemist,  undoing  the 
straps,  took  the  despatch  to  the  fire,  glanced  at 
its  contents  with  an  exclamation  of  triumph,  then 
dropped  it  in  the  midst  of  the  embers,  where  it 
was  instantly  consumed. 

The  courier  stood  motionless  and  abstracted,  as 
if  his  thoughts  were  not  upon  what  was  happen 
ing. 

"Did  Soprasasso  speak?"  asked  Almodoro, 
while  Narvaez  strapped  the  wallet  together. 

"  Yes ;  he  chided  me  for  tarrying  so  long." 

"  Was  that  all  ?" 

"He  bade  me  haste  and  put  out  the  light.  I 
answered  as  you  charged  me,  and  in  the  dark  I 
laid  my  wallet  in  the  place  of  his  and  came  softly 
out."  " 

"  Very  wrell.  Now  lay  your  wallet  on  the  table 
beside  your  sword,  and  sit  down  by  the  fire.  Give 
me  your  hand  again." 

At  this  moment  Hermes  reappeared  and  whis 
pered  that  vespers  were  over,  that  he  had  tried  in 
vain  to  detain  the  superior,  and  that  they  might  be 
interrupted  at  any  moment.  Then  he  noticed  with 


AN  ALCHEMIC  MAGNET.  051 

astonishment  the  courier's  vague  and  blank  ex 
pression,  which  gave  place,  as  the  magnetic  influ 
ence  was  lifted,  to  his  accustomed  look  of  stolid 
attention.  Almodoro  spoke  to  him,  resuming  the 
thread  of  their  talk  at  the  point  where  it  had  been 
interrupted  twenty  minutes  previously. 

"You  are  an  honest  fellow,"  he  said,  "and,  now 
I  know  you  to  be  sincere,  you  may  depend  upon 
plunging  your  hands  in  the  mounds  of  dingy  red 
ducats,  none  the  less  beautiful  to  you  and  me  for 
being  tarnished." 

"  But  when  will  you  tell  me  wherein  this  service 
you  require  is  to  consist?"  asked  the  Swiss,  un 
conscious  of  the  interval  since  the  alchemist's  ref 
erence  to  the  divining-rod. 

"  It  is  late,"  answered  Almodoro,  impatient  to 
get  Caspar  to  his  room.  "  To-morrow,  as  we  ride, 
you  shall  learn  all.  Your  companion  went  to 
bed  some  time  ago — we  had  all  best  do  likewise. 
Your  shoes  are  dry  now ;  take  them  with  you,  and 
give  the  remainder  of  the  night  to  sleep." 

The  courier  yawned,  rose  slowly,  stretched  him 
self  luxuriously,  took  his  boots  from  the  andirons, 
and  his  wallet  and  cutlass  from  the  table,  and, 
bidding  them  all  a  curt  good-night,  withdrew. 

Then  Almodoro  turned  to  Hermes,  his  face  suf 
fused  with  exultation.  "It  is  done,"  he  whis 
pered,  with  trembling  lips.  "The  despatch  is 
destroved." 


252  SFORZA. 

"It  is  done  none  too  soon,"  answered  Hermes, 
"  for  the  superior  will  surely  be  here  in  an  instant. 
He  fairly  bade  me  begone  at  the  last,  and  I  know 
he  suspects  us  of  some  mischievous  intention." 

"  He  can  do  no  more  than  come  to  the  refectory 
to  make  sure  that  all  is  quiet." 

"  Hark  !  I  hear  a  step  now,"  exclaimed  Hermes, 
breathless  with  excitement. 

"  Some  one  knocks  at  the  door  of  the  Swiss.  It 
is  the  superior.  He  has  something  to  say  to  them, 
and  we  must  know  what  it  is." 

They  crept  to  the  door  leading  to  the  guard 
room,  and  listened  intently.  The  first  wrords  they 
heard  were  spoken  by  Caspar,  who  had  relighted 
the  rush  he  had  previously  extinguished,  and 
was  opening  the  side-door  at  which  the  superior 
knocked.  Soprasasso,  roused  by  these  noises, 
threw  back  his  coverlet  with  an  angry  growl. 
Then  they  heard  the  superior  speaking  in  a  quick, 
subdued  voice. 

"  I  come,"  he  said,  "  to  caution  you  against 
these  fellows  who  present  themselves  under  the 
guise  of  an  escort.  Is  your  door  bolted  ?  Yes  ? 
Know,  then,  that  one  of  them  is  Hermes  Sforza, 
nephew  to  the  Duke  of  Milan.  I  met  him  once, 
months  ago,  in  Venice,  but  he  is  so  altered  that  at 
first  I  knew  him  not.  As  for  his  companions, 
though  they  profess  to  come  from  the  French 
camp,  you  see  for  yourselves  that  neither  of  them 


AN  ALCHEMIC  MAGNET.  ^3 

is  a  Frenchman.  All  day  they  have  been  studying 
the  ins  and  outs  of  this  building,  and  never  for  an 
instant  have  their  arms  been  out  of  reach.  This 
afternoon,  when  I  came  upon  them  unawares,  their 
chief,  who  is  the  oldest  and  most  ill-favored  of 
them,  palmed  off  a  tale  whose  falsehood  looked 
me  in  the  eyes.  And  I  should  have  been  here  ear 
lier  to  tell  you  this,  had  not  the  one  whom  I  recog 
nized,  when  talking  face  to  face,  as  Sforza,  detained 
me  with  a  tissue  of  nonsense." 

The  Swiss  evinced  little  concern  at  this  extraor 
dinary  communication,  which  they  attributed  to 
the  disordered  imagination  of  a  monk. 

"  I  have  but  this  moment  left  them  dozing 
over  their  fire,"  observed  Caspar.  "  And  we  have 
nothing  to  lose  except  our  despatches,"  he  added, 
with  a  sigh  at  the  remembrance  of  Almodoro's 
treasure. 

"  Except  your  despatches,"  echoed  the  superior. 

"  And  they  are  as  they  should  be,"  added  So- 
prasasso,  turning  to  the  two  wallets  beside  him 
with  a  searching  glance  that  changed  to  a  wild 
stare  of  alarm. 

His  hands  shook  as  he  clutched  his  own  and 
held  it  up  for  the  others  to  see. 

"  It  has  been  opened,"  he  stammered.  "  I  never 
fastened  it  thus." 

The  superior  bent  above  him  as  he  unstrapped 
it  and  found  it  empty. 


254  SFORZA. 

"  The  despatch  ! "  he  cried,  with  a  terrible  voice, 
as  he  beat  his  hands  violently  together. 

His  companion  looked  on  bewildered,  then  sud 
denly  tore  open  his  own  wallet  and  drew  forth  the 
despatch  it  contained  to  the  auxiliaries  of  King 
Louis. 

At  sight  of  it  Soprasasso  gasped  with  joy. 

"  St.  Michael,  the  guardian  of  messengers,  be 
praised!"  he  muttered,  as  he  clutched  the  parch 
ment  and  pressed  it  to  his  lips.  "  We  can  yet  per 
form  our  errand,"  he  said,  "  for  the  other  despatch 
was  the  mate  to  this,  and  both  recall  our  country 
men  to  Switzerland." 

On  the  other  side  of  the  door  Almodoro  stood 
silent  and  aghast  at  the  words.  Behind  him  were 
Hermes  and  Narvaez,  and  they  read  their  failure 
in  the  eyes  with  which  he  glanced  back. 

Then  the  superior  spoke  again.  "  These  fellows 
must  have  stolen  the  letter  at  supper  before  your 
very  faces,"  he  said.  "  This  is  no  place  for  you  to 
sleep  ;  they  will  get  the  second  from  you  before 
morning.  You  must  to  horse  at  once.  Come,  I 
will  guide  you  to  the  stable.  The  facchini  are  not 
yet  in  bed.  We  must  show  no  light,  for  they  are 
better  armed  than  you.  Pull  on  your  boots,  take 
your  cutlasses,  and  follow  me  softly." 

A  shuffling  noise  followed,  then  all  was  still. 
The  superior  went  but  a  step  with  them  outside 
the  walls.  Then  he  whispered  :  "  The  stable  is 


AN  ALCHEMIC   MAGNET.  055 

open,  yon  can  easily  saddle  your  horses.  Mean 
while  I  will  go  to  the  parapet,  and,  if  the  rogues 
stir,  I  will  ring  the  great  bell." 

Within  the  refectory  Almodoro  turned  to  his 
companions  and  asked  in  a  calm,  deliberate  voice, 
"  Are  your  weapons  ready  ?  " — then,  without  wait 
ing  for  an  answer,  he  added :  "  Yoii  must  be 
quick  to  seize  our  last  chance.  The  superior  has 
marred  a  finer  scheme  than  ever  lie  made.  But 
you  are  cool  and  bold,  and  your  arms  are  good. 
You  must  kill  Soprasasso.  He  was  to  have  rid 
den  to  our  camp.  He  is  intelligent  enough  to 
make  explanations,  which  the  other  is  not.  Cas 
par  will  ride  to  Louis'  camp  and  deliver  his 
despatch.  Whoever  approaches  our  Swiss  shall 
be  hanged  as  a  spy.  Come  quickly ;  you  will 
know  them  readily  in  the  dark,  for  Soprasasso's 
hat  will  show  almost  white,  and  will  make  a  clear 
target.  Be  sure  not  to  fire  at  the  other.  You 
shall  station  yourselves  before  the  stable  door, 
and  I  will  lock  the  monastery  gate,  that  none  may 
come  out  to  molest  you." 

Softly  they  passed  from  the  refectory,  where  the 
neglected  fire  burned  low,  casting  their  shadows  in 
grotesque  and  fantastic  silhouettes  upon  the  wall. 
The  stout  old  boards  creaked  beneath  their  steps 
as  Hermes  led  the  way  with  a  pistol  in  each  hand, 
and  at  his  heels  the  fencer  holding  the  redoubt 
able  blunderbuss.  The  alchemist  locked  the  great 


256  SFORZA. 

gate  behind  them  and  leaned  against  it,  completely 
hidden  in  shadow,  while  his  companions  stepped 
forward  to  the  edge  of  the  road. 

The  double  doors  of  the  stable  were  opened ; 
they  heard  the  noise  of  horses  led  forth  ;  a  head 
peeped  cautiously  this  way  and  that ;  there  was  a 
hasty  exchange  of  words ;  then,  with  a  rush,  the 
Swiss  were  upon  them,  cutlass  in  hand. 

Two  sharp  reports  rang  out,  followed  by  the 
louder  detonation  of  the  blunderbuss,  and  one  of 
the  Swiss— the  one  wearing  the  light  gray  hat — 
plunged  headlong  to  the  ground.  The  other  spur 
red  furiously,  and,  in  passing  Narvaez,  dealt  him  a 
heavy  cut  ere  he  dashed  away  at  a  gallop. 

It  was  over  in  an  instant.  Then  Almodoro 
came  forward  as  Hermes  sprang  to  the  Spaniard, 
who  had  fallen.  Along  the  rampart  came  hurry 
ing  lights,  and  the  monastary  bell  rang  a  note  of 
alarm  far  down  the  valley. 

"  What !  "  exclaimed  the  alchemist,  bending  be 
side  Narvaez,  "  is  she  killed  ?  " 

"  She  !  "  echoed  Hermes. 

"  Did  you  not  know  your  fencer  to  be  a  girl '? 
She  is  badly  hurt.  The  cut  has  gone  through  the 
arm  to  the  bone.  Give  me  a  handkerchief, — there, 
bound  thus  the  flow  of  blood  will  cease.  Look,  her 
eyes  open,  she  tries  to  speak.  How  the  monks 
swarm  on  the  parapet.  Hear  them  curse, — no,  they 
are  praying.  Let  us  get  the  horses,  quick,  and  away ! " 


CHAPTER   XV. 

THE    FAITH    OF    THE    SWISS. 

AT  daybreak  Hermes  and  the  wounded  girl 
neared  Novara.  Almodoro  had  disappeared  soon 
after  their  flight  from  the  monastery,  for  the  al 
chemist  was  in  dire  haste,  and  made  off  at  a  pace 
which  left  them  far  behind. 

At  intervals,  during  the  hours  of  their  long 
ride,  they  talked  with  a  strange  mixture  of  inti 
macy  and  reserve,  and  by  degrees  Hermes  drew 
forth  the  story  of  her  life.  She  spoke  with  horror 
of  that  dreadful  man  who  had  divined  her  secret, 
and,  in  place  of  the  fencer's  accustomed  self- 
reliance,  appeared  a  sudden  feminine  dependence, 
wherewith  in  her  helplessness  she  turned  to  her 
companion,  and  which  was  in  odd  contrast  to  the 
epithets  that,  in  moments  of  pain,  she,  showered 
upon  their  thorny  journey  ings. 

Her  name,  she  said,  was  Mariquita,  and  her 
disguise  had  been  imagined  by  her  father,  who, 
when  she  was  still  a  child,  dressed  her  as  a  boy, 
and  put  a  foil  in  her  hand,  saying  that  she  must 
take  the  place  of  the  sou  he  had  desired.  At  his 
death  he  had  enjoined  upon  her  to  continue  the 
17 


258  SFORZA. 

life  to  which  she  had  become  accustomed,  and, 
committing  to  her  his  Toledo  blade,  which,  in  its 
youth,  had  tasted  the  blood  of  many  a  Moor, 
whispered  his  last  characteristic  words  :  "  To  the 
heart !  always  strike  to  the  heart!  " — then  his  eyes 
closed,  he  was  dead. 

She  interrupted  this  narrative  with  denuncia 
tions  of  the  alchemist,  with  lamentations  that  she 
should  never  fence  again,  with  sobs  of  pain,  with 
wondering  exclamations  at  what  should  become 
of  her  now.  At  which  Hermes,  thinking  to  calm 
her,  said  : 

"  I  will  care  for  you,  Mariquita,  until  you  can 
be  safely  placed  in  a  convent — a  shrewish  nun 
you  will  make  !  " 

At  this  the  long-familiar  masculine  nature  re 
asserted  itself,  and  the  fencer's  daughter  vowed 
by  the  sword  of  St.  Peter  that  none  should  ever 
house  her  in  a  nunnery. 

When  nearing  camp,  they  heard  from  afar  the 
soft,  musical  notes  of  the  mountain  horns  where 
with  the  Swiss  sounded  their  reveille,  and  whose 
simple  refrain,  swelling  and  falling  in  the  dis 
tance,  seemed  filled  with  the  pastoral  strains  of 
Alpine  valleys.  And,  following  after,  came  the 
roll  of  drums  and  the  strident  call  of  bugles  from 
the  French  and  Italian  camps.  They  passed 
Ludovico's  outposts  almost  unchallenged,  and 
rode  through  the  familiar  bivouac,  where  every- 


THE  FAITH  OF  THE  SWISS.  259 

tiling  wore  an  aspect  of  hustling  preparation. 
In  an  adjacent  meadow  were  formed  tlie  Italian 
knights,  silent  and  motionless,  glittering  beneath 
the  first  beams  of  the  rising  sun,  in  the  steel 
and  brass  of  their  incomparable  Milanese  armor. 
Near  by,  the  crossbowmen,  in  dark  green  tunics 
and  feathered  caps,  were  filling  their  wallets  with 
bolts,  and,  away  to  the  left,  a  battalion  of  Lom 
bard  pike  men  advanced  with  trumpet-blasts  and 
clashing  of  Turkish  cymbals. 

Hermes  conducted  Mariquita  to  a  house  occu 
pied  by  a  leech,  in  whose  care  he  left  her.  He 
then  rode  to  Ludovico's  tent,  before  which  Saii- 
severino  was  seated  011  horseback,  surrounded  by 
officers,  to  whom  he  was  reading  his  order  for  an 
attack.  A  little  to  the  front  was  St'orza,  equipped 
in  gilt  mail,  and  attended  by  an  esquire  who  bore 
his  shield,  rather  in  observance  of  ancient  custom 
than  in  view  of  any  heavy  strokes  the  portly  duke 
was  likely  to  receive  or  give.  Beside  him  rode 
Almodoro,  whose  usually  sombre  countenance  was 
radiant,  as  though  success  were  the  elixir  of  his 
being. 

But  the  promised  triumph  vanished  at  the  start 
ling  words  of  some  officers  who  galloped  in  with 
blanched  faces  and  trembling  lips,  and  whose  tid 
ings  struck  the  alchemist  and  his  patron  equally 
aghast.  The  Swiss  had  furled  their  flags  and 
called  in  their  sentries,  and  were  busy  with  their 


260  SFORZA. 

lansquenettes  rolling  tents  and  packing  baggage, 
and  refused  to  obey  orders,  declaring  that  a  com 
mand  from  a  source  superior  to  the  authority  of 
princelings  called  them  away. 

It  needed  but  a  moment  to  verify  this  state 
ment,  and  to  measure  the  immensity  of  the  catas 
trophe.  They  rode  forward  to  the  lines  of  their 
mercenaries,  where  Ludovico  was  greeted  with 
derisive  shouts. 

"  You  promised  us  Vigevano  ;  you  promised  us 
Novara,"  they  cried  ;  "  you  shall  learn  to  keep 
faith  with  the  Swiss." 

Then  Hermes  whispered  to  Almodoro  :  "  We 
made  some  fatal  mistake  last  night ;  can  it  be 
that  the  Swiss  we  killed  was  the  one  sent  to  the 
French  camp  ?  See  how  pale  is  Ludovico !  what 
can  it  be  they  are  saying  to  him  ? — they  unfold  a 
despatch ' 

"  I  cannot  bear  to  meet  his  eyes,"  groaned  the 
wise  man  ;  "  I  am  faint, — the  sight  of  his  face 
oppresses  me." 

"  Look  yonder !  "  exclaimed  Hermes,  catching 
the  alchemist  by  the  sleeve  and  directing  his 
attention :  "  that  fellow  pointing  to  us — do  you 
not  recognize  him  ? — it  is  Soprasasso.  I  under 
stand  it  all  now :  in  the  haste  of  their  flight  the 
one  took  the  other's  hat.  Him  we  riddled  with 
bullets  had  caught  up  his  companion's  gray  felt — 
O  Magician,  to  what  purpose  are  your  arts  ?  " 


THE  FAITH  OF  THE  SWISS.  261 

But  Ludovico,  at  least,  did  not  despair.  He 
could  escape  with  liis  Italian  troops  to  Milan, 
and  defend  his  capital  until  a  duplicate  despatch 
reached  the  hirelings  of  King  Louis,  and  left 
that  sovereign  similarly  denuded.  For  this  a 
little  time  was  necessary,  that  a  few  miles  might 
be  gained  unmolested.  He  rode  forward  to  recon 
noitre  the  French  lines,  and  perceived  with  dis 
may  the  menacing  activity  which  evidenced  that 
the  enemy  were  aware  of  the  collapse  of  his  army, 
and  would  be  quick  to  profit  by  it. 

Meanwhile  the  Swiss  till  now  in  his  service 
continued  their  preparations  for  departure,  undis 
turbed  by  the  approach  of  the  enemy,  who,  having 
driven  in  the  Italian  outposts,  halted  as  though 
anticipating  some  concerted  event.  And  while 
they  waited  thus,  one  of  the  chiefs  of  Ludovico's 
Swiss,  named  Sileno  of  Uri,  was  addressed  by 
Soprasasso  the  courier,  whose  services  were  so 
well  known  and  so  valued  that,  upon  his  request, 
Sileno  led  him  a  few  paces  apart. 

"  The  moment  accorded  to  me  upon  my  arrival 
was  so  brief,"  began  Soprasasso,  "  and  my  tidings 
were  so  great,  that  I  could  not  tell  you  of  the 
snare  set  for  me  last  night." 

""What  matters  it  now,  since  you  escaped?  " 

"But  my  companion  did  not.  Poor  Caspar! 
I  heard  the  shots  fired  by  those  who  surrounded 
us ;  I  saw  him  fall.  Master,  I  no  longer  doubt 


262  SFORZA. 

that  my  life-long  comrade  was  cruelly  done  to 
death." 

"  Your  own  skin  is  whole ;  what  more  asks  a 
man  whose  days  and  nights  are  equally  spent  in 
danger  ?  " 

"  Kevenge  ! "  answered  the  courier,  with  a  vio 
lent  gesture,  as  though  he  crushed  the  skull  of  a 
foe  with  his  fist. 

"  Holy  Virgin  !  "  ejaculated  Sileno,  surprised  at 
the  other's  ferocity,  '*  am  I  to  scour  the  valleys  of 
the  Alps  to  find  some  rogues  with  whom  you 
brawled  ?  " 

"  They  are  here  beneath  your  hand.  I  saw 
them  following  the  duke  a  moment  ago.  The 
youth  who  fired  upon  us  is  Sforza's  nephew,  and 
he  with  the  lowering  brow  is  a  conjuring  worker 
of  charms."  • 

"  For  a  nephew  of  the  duke  we  shall  extort  a 
rich  ransom,"  replied  Sileno,  with  his  broad  face 
aglow.  "  I  see  your  drift,  good  Soprasasso  ;  you 
require  a  consolation  for  the  shots  fired  last  night. 
Fear  not ;  you  shall  have  a  sequin  for  every 
bullet, — say  three — or  shall  we  say  four  in  all  ?  " 

The  courier  waved  aside  this  magnanimous 
offer.  "  I  want  no  sequins,"  he  retorted  angrily, 
"nor  can  you  need  more  than  the  French  will 
pay  for  this  day's  work.  For  myself,  I  require 
those  two  men's  lives,  nor  will  aught  else  content 
me." 


THE  FAITH  OF  THE  SWISS.  203 

"  What  reckless  waste  !  King  Louis  would  pay 
a  thousand  crowns  for  young  Sforza." 

"He  is  worth  more  than  that  to  me  dead." 

"  If  you  are  thus  spendthrift,  you  will  come  to 
want  in  your  old  age." 

"  Refuse  me  not.  Or,  rather,  remember  I  could 
tell  the  Diet  things  you  would  pay  well  to  have 
unspoken." 

"  Hush  !  I  meant  but  to  see  if  your  zeal  were 
to  be  trusted.  You  shall  have  the  youth,  and  the 
conjurer  too,  since  nothing  else  will  serve." 

"  Good,"  answered  the  courier,  with  a  sardonic 
laugh  ;  "  and  they  must  be  delivered  in  such  con 
venient  way  as  I  shall  fix." 

The  officer  stopped  to  reflect  upon  this  de 
mand,  holding  his  cap  in  his  hands  and  adjusting 
its  blue  heron's  plume.  Then  he  said  in  a  low 
voice  : 

"  I  go  presently  to  the  duke.  I  can  make  a  pro 
posal  of  escape  for  his  nephew  which  will  bring 
him  in  your  way." 

"  And  the  magician  ?  " 

"  Father  of  usurers  !  You  ask  much  of  my  pa 
tience." 

"  No  matter,  then  ;  you  shall  send  me  the  youth 
alone,  whither  I  designate." 

"  And  where  is  that  to  be  ?  " 

"  Tell  him  that  in  the  clump  of  trees  to  the  left, 
yonder,  near  that  burned  house,  he  will  find  one 


264  SFORZA. 

who  for  twenty  ducats  will  guide  him  safely  be 
yond  the  enemy's  line." 

"  But  if  he  goes  there  with  a  man  or  two,  and 
finds  you,  he  will  finish  what  he  began  last  night." 

"  Fear  not.  I  shall  make  bold  to  borrow  half  a 
dozen  of  your  fellows  of  Uri,  and  it  will  go  hard  if 
we  cannot  turn  the  tables." 

"  Do  you  mean  that  you  will  kill  him  ?  " 

"  As  surely  as  there  is  a  man  to  follow  me,  or  a 
blade  wherewith  to  strike." 

Sileno  shrugged  his  shoulders  at  the  useless- 
ness  of  further  argument,  and  rejoined  his  battal 
ion.  It  was  not  long  before  he  walked  across  the 
interval  which  separated  the  bivouac  of  his  sol 
diers  from  the  duke's  tent.  The  sentry  had  left 
his  post,  and  he  entered  unannounced. 

Ludovico  had  thrown  off  his  helmet  and  gaunt 
lets,  and  was  sitting,  still  clad  in  glittering  splen 
dor,  with  downcast  eyes.  On  hearing  a  step  he 
looked  up,  and  his  face  lighted  with  scornful  in 
dignation  at  sight  of  Sileno. 

The  Swiss  was  disconcerted  by  the  silent  dis 
dain  of  his  gaze.  He  came  prepared  for  threats, 
for  reproaches,  for  entreaty ;  but  that  mute  ab 
horrence  pierced  to  the  very  baseness  of  his 
soul.  He  was  about  to  withdraw  when  II  Moro 
spoke. 

"  "What  purpose,"  he  asked  bitterly,  "  brings 
you  now  to  intrude  upon  me  ?  " 


THK  FAITH  OF  THE  SWISS.  265 

The  hireling's  self-sufficiency  returned  at  the 
words. 

"  Signer  Duca,"  he  answered,  "  I  bear  ill  news  : 
the  enemy's  cavalry  has  circled  round  Novara  ;  it 
is  too  late  for  flight,  and  a  flag  has  come  in  de 
manding  your  surrender." 

"  What  concerns  it  you  if  flags  are  sent, — you 
whose  battle-flags  are  furled  ?  " 

"  Because,  while  the  time  for  fighting  has  passed, 
there  remains  one  last  chance  of  escape." 

"  Escape,  then,  and  glory  in  your  flight." 

"But  you,  Signer  Duca, —  your  own  safety;  you 
have  not  heard  the  enemy's  conditions  !  " 

"  I  have  heard  nothing  since  I  listened  to  the 
order  bidding  you  abandon  me." 

"And  your  life,  is  that  nothing  ?  Trivulzio's  terms 
are  these  :  that  we,  in  obedience  to  the  Diet,  march 
off  unmolested.  That  your  Italian  soldiers  be  dis 
armed  and  disbanded.  And  for  you,  that  you  yield 
yourself  prisoner  at  discretion,  mercy  or  no  mercy." 

A  shadow  passed  over  Sforza's  eyes. 

"  Ay,  there  speaks  Trivulzio,"  he  answered, 
after  a  moment's  silent  agony. 

"  But  ho  can  be  outwitted,"  pursued  Sileno, 
catching  at  Ludovico's  distress.  "  Why  should 
not  you  go  with  us  unnoticed,  and  so  reach  some 
place  of  friendly  safety  ?  '' 

"I  could  not  go  a  hundred  paces  undetected; 
besides,  how  can  I  trust  the  faith  of  the  Swiss  ?  " 


266  SFORZA. 

"  The  faith  of  the  Swiss  is  worth  as  much  as  the 
promises  you  broke  at  Yigevano  and  Novara." 

"  I  had  rather  venture  out  in  arms  with  my 
Italian  knights  than  to  trudge  away  shoulder  to 
shoulder  with  you  lanzknechts,  wearing  the  cloak 
that  covers  your  shame." 

At  this  taunt  the  Swiss  turned  with  an  impetu 
ous  look  towards  the  door.  "The  Italian  knights! " 
he  echoed,  with  outstretched  arms, — "where  are 
they?  I  saw  them  charge  the  famous  regiment 
Auvergne  an  hour  ago,  and  that  charge  not  only 
failed,  but  wrecked  them." 

"  Then  I  will  ride  straight  to  King  Louis  and 
yield  me,  as  misfortune  may  yield  without  dis 
honor." 

"  You  forget,"  objected  Sileno  coldly,  "  that  you 
are  outlawed  for  treason  to  the  arms  of  France, 
and  that  Louis  will  not  hearken  to  your  plea." 

At  this  ominous  reminder  the  unhappy  prince 
drew  a  handkerchief  across  his  brow  and  answered 
not. 

"  Come,"  said  the  Swiss,  seating  himself  famil 
iarly  at  the  duke's  side ;  "  in  this  extremity  we 
will  do  you  a  good  turn  as  amends  for  the  order 
which  no  power  of  ours  could  change.  At  least 
you  can  escape  an  ignominious  death, — bethink 
you,  the  hangman's  rope  before  the  eyes  of  the 
whole  French  army." 

"  Your  column  marches  at  once  ?  " 


THE  FAITH  OF  THE  SWISS.  267 

"  Immediately." 

"  And  the  disguise  ?  " 

"  Listen,"  replied  tlie  Swiss,  speaking  in  an 
undertone,  and  laying  his  finger  upon  his  lips 
with  an  affectation  of  mystery.  "  In  place  of  this 
armor  put  011  the  cowl  of  one  of  our  friars,  and 
mount  upon  one  of  the  donkeys  they  ride.  Not 
even  my  own  men  will  know  you,  and  at  sunset 
we  shall  be  beyond  reach." 

Mariquita's  last  impression,  when  Hermes  left 
her,  and  when  she  composed  herself  to  sleep  upon 
the  veranda  where  the  leech  had  bidden  her  rest, 
was  of  brilliant  sunlight,  and  of  a  multitude  of 
pink  roses  trellised  against  the  wall,  and  of  an 
exquisite  freshness  and  fragrance  in  the  air.  And 
in  the  deep  slumber  that  followed,  her  adventur 
ous  journey  was  forgotten,  and  she  dreamt  of  the 
lattice  window  from  which,  in  infancy,  she  looked 
upon  the  Castilian  sierras,  and  upon  a  prim,  rec 
tangular  garden  whose  venerable  hedge  of  box 
stretched  away  in  solemn  and  odorous  fringe. 
And  she  remembered  playing  as  a  child  in  that 
garden,  and  wondered  now,  in  her  dream,  whether 
some  day,  years  hence,  she  might  revisit  those 
familiar  walks,  and  recall,  in  the  silver  twilight 
of  life,  the  places  where  grew  the  golden  roses  of 
her  youth. 

And  she  still  slept  when  Hermes  returned.     II 


2G8  SFORZA. 

Moro  liad  profited  by  his  opportunity  of  escape  ; 
Sileno  of  Uri  had  indicated  to  the  duke's  nephew 
the  means  of  flight  destined  to  lead  him  into  So- 
prasasso's  ambuscade ;  the  horses  were  ready,  the 
moments  passing — they  must  be  gone  at  once. 

But  as  Hermes  stood  beside  Mariquita,  the  cur 
rent  of  her  dream  altered.  Her  features  became 
contracted,  and  she  spoke  aloud  in  a  voice  that 
was  changed  and  weak,  coming,  as  it  seemed, 
across  an  infinite  distance  of  anguish  and  remorse. 

"  Wlien  she  is  lost  and  ruined"  she  muttered,  "  she 
will  gladly  give  herself  to  death" 

At  these  sinister  words  Hermes  drew  back  the 
hand  outstretched  to  wake  her. 

"  How  often  I  have  seen  her  dead  face"  went  on 
the  girl,  with  a  moan  of  weariness,  "  and  to  think 
that  I  saw  her  living  but  once." 

The  listener  bent  forward  to  catch  the  words. 
A  strange  suspicion  seized  him,  and  his  face  be 
came  haggard  as  that  of  the  sleeping  girl.  Once 
more  she  spoke  : 

"  Dead  !  "  she  ejaculated  :  "  is  she  dead  ?  I  knoiv 
not, — none  Imoivs  but  he" 

Then  she  woke  with  a  violent  start,  glanced 
wildly  about  her  at  the  unfamiliar  objects,  and 
met  Hermes'  accusing  gaze. 

She  raised  herself  with  a  gasp  of  terror,  and 
would  have  caught  his  hand,  but  he  motioned  her 
back  and  asked : 


THE  FAITH  OF  THE  SWISS.  269 

"  Who  is  it  that  alone  knows  if  she  be  dead?  " 

But  the  horror  of  her  dream  and  the  bewilder 
ment  of  her  awakening  left  the  girl  dazed,  and 
she  answered  his  question  with  another. 

"She!— who  is  she?" 

"Bianca  Rucellai." 

At  this  name,  which  she  heard  spoken  by  Her 
mes  for  the  first  time  since  she  had  delivered 
her  rival  to  dishonor,  Mariquita  cowered  with  the 
helpless  fright  of  one  whose  awful  misdeed  is  dis 
covered. 

Her  fear  and  her  silence  told  the  story  of  her 
crime. 

"And  he  who  knows  if  she  be  dead  or  not," 
pursued  Hermes  steadily,  "  is  Valentino  ?  You 
start  at  the  name,  for  it  recalls  your  own  infamy 
as  well  as  his.  Oh  Mariquita!"  he  exclaimed 
with  eyes  suffused,  "  how  could  you,  whom  I 
thought  my  most  faithful  friend,  do  me  a  wrong 
that  even  an  enemy  would  hardly  have  inflicted  ?  " 

"  Because  I  loved  you,"  answered  the  girl, 
speaking  with  sudden  strength  and  vehemence 
that  melted  to  a  paroxysm  of  sobs.  "Have  pity! 
you  were  all  the  world  to  me — I  once  risked  my 
life  for  you  ;  I  would  give  the  blood  of  my  heart 
for  you  now.  A  hundred  times  it  lias  been  on  my 
lips  to  tell  you  the  secret  that  lias  racked  me." 

"And  that  was  a  token  of  your  love,  to  deliver 
my  helpless  and  innocent  sweetheart  to  the  lust 


270  SFORZA. 

of  a  fiend!  And  you  have  carried  this  coward's 
secret  in  your  heart,  and  taken  my  hand  in  yours, 
and  smiled  in  my  face — you,  that,  were  you  a  man, 
would  not  now  be  alive  to  hear  me." 

At  these  words  Mariquita  wept  no  more.  The 
decisive  instant  of  her  life  had  come,  and  she 
dashed  away  her  tears,  impatient  of  such  weak 
ness.  And  from  her  suffering  and  exhaustion  she 
lifted  to  Hermes  her  face  filled  with  the  intense 
persuasion  of  feminine  entreaty,  and  outstretched 
her  arms  with  appealing  and  infinite  tenderness. 

"  Can  you  fancy  us  parted,"  she  cried,  "  one 
from  the  other  forever?  Or  can  you  turn  away 
with  indifference,  and  leave  me  to  the  loneliness  of 
the  world?  Think,  before  you  forsake  me,  how 
vital  is  this  instant !  Think  how  insignificant, 
hereafter,  compared  to  your  decision,  will  seem 
half  the  things  in  life !  To  me,  all  on  earth  but 
you  seems  a  futile  shadow,  and  in  this  hour,  when, 
perhaps,  the  bitterness  of  death  draws  near,  I 
think  only  of  the  greater  pang  of  my  punishment, 
and  I  look  beyond  my  fault,  and  pray  that  in 
another  world  I  may  be  judged  more  mercifully — 
even  by  you." 

A  step  was  heard  as  she  spoke,  and  the  leech 
stood  before  them,  attracted  by  their  voices,  and 
looked  from  one  to  the  other.  And  he  caught 
Mariquita's  wounded  arm  and  replaced  it  in  a 
sling,  and  took  her  by  the  shoulders  and  laid  her 


THE  FAITH  OF  TIIE  SWISS.  271 

clown  upon  the  cane  sofa,  and  begged  her  to  be 
quiet ;  but  she  broke  from  him  with  an  inarticulate 
cry  :  "  Hermes,  Hermes,  come  back  ;  forgive  rne  !  " 
Then  she  looked  about  her  in  silence. 

He  was  gone — gone  from  her  forever. 

He  rode  at  a  canter,  hardly  thinking  whither  he 
went- — past  groups  returning  to  Novara,  and  ser 
vants  and  sutlers  hurrying  this  way  and  that,  and 
stragglers  wandering  in  an  aimless  fashion  that 
betrayed  their  quest  for  plunder.  Already,  in  the 
tacit  truce  that  prevailed,  the  French  officers  wTere 
riding  up  to  reconnoitre.  But  now  the  Swiss  were 
in  movement,  and  the  head  of  their  column  had 
some  time  since  passed  between  the  line  of  French 
drawn  up  on  either  side  of  the  highway.  The  de 
parture  of  the  mercenaries  was  evidently  a  subject 
of  extreme  interest,  for  Amboise,  and  Trivulzio, 
and  D'Aubigny,  and  Ives  d'Allegre,  and  all  but 
King  Louis  himself,  were  there  to  see  it.  And  at 
this  distant  spectacle  Hermes,  knowing  the  man 
ner  of  the  duke's  evasion,  drew  bridle  to  watch  if 
indeed  he  escaped.  But  even  as  ho  halted  there 
was  a  break  in  the  marching  line,  a  figure  on  a 
donkey  was  dragged  from  the  ranks,  the  friar's 
cowl  was  torn  from  his  head — then  the  Swiss  re 
sumed  their  way.  They  had  fulfilled  their  bar 
gain  with  the  enemy,  and  Sileno  of  Uri,  stepping 
forward  to  Trivulzio,  interrupted  that  officer's  sar 
castic  welcome  to  the  captive,  and  exclaimed  : 


272  SFORZA. 

"The  money,  oh  greatest  of  men — the  thirty 
thousand  crowns.  Are  they  ready?" 

From  the  place  where  Hermes  had  stopped  he 
could  see  Ludovico  standing  before  the  group  of 
French  officers,  though  too  far  to  distinguish  else 
but  that.  Then,  remembering  his  appointed  tryst- 
ing  place,  he  rode  away  in  the  direction  of  the 
clump  of  trees,  all  unconscious  of  the  fate  that 
lurked  there. 

But,  as  he  went,  the  quick  gallop  of  a  horse  was 
heard  behind,  and  glancing  back,  he  perceived  Le 
Chevalier  Bayard,  equipped  in  the  armor  where 
with  he  had  once  before  been  made  familiar, 
though  now  with  vizor  raised,  and  with  no  weapon 
in  the  hand  he  waved  in  salutation,  and  upon  his 
feet  the  great  spurs  of  knighthood  which  had  re 
warded  his  prowess  before  Milan. 

"I  was  riding  to  look  at  your  camp,"  he  said, 
with  courtly  greeting,  as  Hermes  drew  bridle, 
"  and  recognized  you  from  afar.  I  wish  to  bid  you 
God -speed,  and  to  see  you  safe  out  of  reach  of  your 
hirelings/' 

Then  Hermes  thanked  him,  and,  pointing  to 
the  trees  a  bowshot  distant,  said  that  one  waited 
there  who  had  promised  to  conduct  him  beyond 
the  French  vedettes.  And,  as  he  spoke,  both 
caught  sight  of  Soprasasso  and  his  men  peering 
from  behind  the  branches  and  trying  to  conceal 
their  long,  keen  halberds. 


THE  FAITH  OF  THE  SWISS.  373 

The  French  knight  divined  their  purpose,  and 
addressed  them  with  characteristic  force  and 
brevity.  As  the  Swiss  skulked  sullenly  away,  he 
asked,  with  ironical  deference  : 

"  Were  these  the  good  friends  who  promised  to 
see  you  harmless?'' 

"  You  have  saved  me ! "  ejaculated  Hermes. 
Then,  with  a  sudden  anguish,  he  added  :  "Yet  am 
I  wretched  enough  to  have  welcomed  the  end.'' 

"  And  shared  the  duke's  imprisonment ! "  ex 
claimed  Le  Bayard,  misunderstanding  his  thought. 
"  Then  you  would  have  deprived  me  of  the  privi 
lege  of  repaying  something  of  Sforza's  generosity. 
For  him,  in  this  pass,  an  obscure  officer  can  do 
nothing ;  but,  in  a  service  to  you,  I  acquit  my 
debt  to  the  utmost  of  my  power.  Hide  straight 
on.  We  are  at  the  flank  of  the  French  camp.  Our 
cavalry  is  far  from  here.  You  have  not  a  moment 
to  lose,  nor  have  I." 

The  sky,  which  had  been  overcast  for  an  hour, 
suddenly  brightened  as  Hermes  cast  a  parting 
glance  at  the  house,  half  a  mile  behind,  where 
he  had  abandoned  Mariquita.  In  that  instant's 
change  the  earth  became  covered  with  a  radiance 
of  sunshine,  and  the  heavens  seemed  filled  with 
ineffable  peace.  And  as  swift  as  that  transition 
from  shadow  to  brightness,  came  a  revulsion  over 
the  man,  who  lingered  and  hesitated  in  the  act  of 
snatching  the  proffered  freedom. 
18 


274  SFORZA. 

"  I  cannot  leave  her,"  he  murmured ;  "  I  will 
share  her  fate." 

And  with  a  nod  of  farewell  to  his  astonished 
rescuer,  he  galloped  back  to  the  veranda  where 
Mariquita  still  lay,  beneath  the  trellised  roses,  in 
the  breathless  swoon  of  her  despair. 


CONCLUSION. 

AT  evening  011  the  day  of  the  surrender,  Luclo- 
vico  Si'orza  was  immured  in  the  castle  of  Novara. 
De  Ligny  caused  the  fallen  duke  to  be  treated  with 
commiseration,  and  to  be  furnished  with  suitable 
clothing  in  the  place  of  the  friar's  disguise. 

King  Louis  refused  to  see  the  captive,  and  pres 
ently  passed  sentence  of  perpetual  confinement  in 
the  French  dungeon  of  La  Pierre  Encise.  The 
journey  towards  the  Alps  was  slow ;  the  prisoner 
suffering  such  paroxysms  of  anguish,  as  the  caval 
cade  drew  further  from  all  that  he  had  lost,  that, 
fearing  he  would  not  survive,  the  escort  tarried  at 
places  by  the  way,  to  break  the  final  pang  of  pass 
ing  beyond  sight  of  Italy.  At  length  they  entered 
a  narrow  valley ;  the  vegetation  became  sparse ; 
only  a  glimpse  remained  of  some  white  specks  of 
houses  beside  a  campanile  tower,  and  the  distant 
green,  and  the  southern  sunshine, — then  he  noticed 
nothing  until,  at  Lyons,  he  was  led  through  the 
midst  of  the  jeering  populace. 

Six  months'  reclusioii  followed  in  La  Pierre  En 
cise.  One  morning,  profiting  by  an  inattention  of 
some  guards,  he  slipped,  unnoticed,  into  a  cart  that 
was  presently  to  be  driven  out  of  tho  courtyard, 


276  SFORZA. 

and  concealed  himself  beneath  the  straw  with 
which  it  was  filled. 

Once  outside,  he  walked  through  the  woods  all 
that  long  summer's  day,  making  slow  progress 
and  little  heeding  whither  he  went.  At  evening 
he  came  to  water,  and  threw  himself  face  down 
ward,  drinking  deep,  and  dipping  his  parched 
hands  in  the  running  stream.  And  when  the  stars 
became  visible  he  laid  his  course  towards  Lyons, 
intending  to  beg  food  and  shelter.  But  he  soon 
became  exhausted,  and  fell  asleep  at  a  place  where 
he  stopped  to  rest. 

A  fine  rain  was  falling  when  he  woke— chilled, 
stiff,  and  footsore.  He  gathered  a  handful  of  wild 
berries,  and,  hearing  the  tramp  of  horses  and  the 
voices  of  men,  knew  that  his  pursuers  were  near. 
He  lay  hidden  among  some  bushes  until  these 
sounds  ceased,  and  then  ventured  forward.  At 
dusk,  being  faint  and  half  delirious  with  hun 
ger,  and  seeing  the  light  of  a  wroodman's  cottage, 
he  walked  to  it  in  desperation  and  besought  a 
crust  of  its  inmates.  And  they  smiled  and  set 
provision  before  him,  but,  shrewdly  guessing  this 
starving  wanderer  to  be  the  fugitive  for  whom  the 
country  was  scoured,  one  of  them  slipped  away 
unnoticed,  and  at  the  moment  Ludovico  rose  to 
pursue  his  wanderings,  the  cottage  was  surrounded. 

"Warned  by  this  escape,  he  was  removed  to  a 
place  of  greater  security,  the  castle  of  Lys  Saint 


CONCL  US  ION.  2  7  7 

Georges,  where  he  remained  four  years.  In  1506 
he  was  transferred  to  the  fortress  of  Lorches,  in 
Touraine,  which  as  lately  as  1720  was  entire, 
even  to  the  frescoes  and  sentences  which  Sforza 
painted  on  the  walls  of  his  chamber,  and  which 
arc  detailed  by  the  pen  of  a  visitor  in  that  year. 
Refused  the  solace  of  writing  materials,  he  asked 
for  and  obtained  colors  and  brushes,  and  applied 
himself  to  painting  on  the  half-lighted  walls  of 
his  cell.  His  eyes  accustomed  themselves  to  the 
obscurity,  and  he  created  a  pastime  wherewith  to 
struggle  against  the  sad  and  heavy  days.  In  the 
infinite  desolation  and  despair  of  his  living  death, 
he  delighted  to  recall  the  scenes  of  his  earlier 
years,  and  traced  upon  the  walls  silhouettes  and 
outlines  that  doubtless,  in  his  hours  of  reverie, 
appeared  to  him  as  real  as  life.  These  sketches 
are  described  as  finished  with  the  elaboration  of 
a  hand  that  seeks  to  beguile  the  hours ;  all  were 
stamped  with  a  character  and  force  that  laid  in 
pathetic  imagery  upon  the  rough  plaster  the 
costumes  and  processions  and  landscapes  of  that 
Italy  the  captive  was  to  behold  no  more.  The 
most  remarkable  was  a  life-size  head  of  himself 
wearing  an  iron  casojue  and  surrounded  by  the 

words  : 

Je  m'iirmo  do  patience. 

The    features    represented    a    vigorous    soldier, 
with  dark  eyes,  heavy,  sombre  eyebrows,  aquiline 


278  SFORZA. 

nose,  full  lower  lip,  and  sharply-defined  chin.     At 
one  side  was  the  legend : 

Qui  ne  craint  Fortune  n'est  pas  sage  ! 

Year  after  year  went  by.  All  hope  of  release 
or  of  escape  faded ;  communication  by  letter  was, 
from  the  first,  refused ;  he  learned  only  at  long 
intervals  that  his  children  were  in  Germany ;  that 
Isabelle  lived  in  seclusion  at  Bari ;  that  her  son 
Francesco  had  been  made  Abbot  of  Nourmentiers, 
where  he  was  learning  to  forget  the  ties  of  the 
world. 

Year  after  year  went  by.  Every  day  an  officer 
looked  in  at  the  grated  door,  and  at  morning  and 
evening  came  an  old  menial  with  food  ;  sometimes 
the  latter  paused  to  talk — to  enumerate  his  aches 
and  infirmities,  and  to  bewail  the  hardships  of  his 
poverty-stricken  age :  "  Life  is  full  of  grievous 
changes,"  he  was  wont  to  say  ;  then,  with  a  sigh, 
he  murmured,  "  and  sorrow  is  so  muck  more  intense 
than  joy  !" 

At  first  Ludovico  took  exact  note  of  time, 
marking  each  day  with  a  scratch,  and  Sundays 
with  a  tiny  cross,  until  the  bitterness  of  their 
lengthening  line  exceeded  the  gratitude  of  count 
ing  the  passage  of  weeks  and  mouths.  They 
showed  no  progress  towards  release,  and  he 
wearied  of  them.  But  while  he  thus  lost  the 
record  of  his  imprisonment,  he  could  tell  each 


CONCLUSION.  279 

Sunday  by  the  chanting  of  priests  in  the  chapel, 
and  no  festival  passed  unnoticed,  for,  leaning  at 
his  dark  and  narrow  casement,  he  heard  the  sound 
of  merry  voices,  and  the  laughter,  and  the  songs  of 
love  and  war,  and  knew  that  others  were  light- 
hearted.  Looking  by  day  from  his  turret,  he  saw 
waving  tree-tops  and  drifting  clouds,  and  heard 
from  unseen  pastures  the  faint,  sweet  tinkling  of 
cow-bells.  The  solitude  and  the  dull  routine  con 
tinued,  the  outer  world  grow  more  and  more  re 
mote,  and  even  the  sting  of  his  reverses  became 
less  poignant.  His  mind  assumed  a  retrospective 
habit,  and  he  thought  often  of  his  early  years,  and 
of  the  forest  paths  of  his  youth,  which  took  on 
now  the  semblance  of  enchanted  ground — like  the 
sunny  meadows  which  sometimes  haunt  a  winter 
night's  dream.  But,  even  in  thinking  of  the  Past, 
the  gruesome  Present  smote  him  with  the  words 
of  his  boding  jailer — Borrow  is  so  much  more  in 
tense  than  joy.  And  the  seasons  in  their  course 
succeeded  each  other,  the  December  snow  and 
whistling  wind :  the  morning-glory  creeping  in 
spring-time  to  his  lofty  window,  and  caressing  the 
stone  with  tremulous  leaves  ;  in  summer  the  birds 
chirping  through  the  cool  branches,  or  flitting  to 
the  free  expanse  of  the  fields ;  in  autumn  the 
voices  of  the  peasants  rising  from  neighboring 
vineyards — as  year  after  year  went  by. 

Until  one  day,  the  10th  of  August,  1512,  the  door 


280  SFORZA. 

was  opened  and  an  officer  appeared,  who,  with 
smiling  face  and  reverent  salutation,  invited  Ludo- 
vico  to  the  presence  of  the  governor.  Ten  years' 
solitary  confinement  in  the  half-twilight  of  medie 
val  dungeons  had  made  him  a  feeble  and  broken 
man,  and  he  followed  with  slow  and  heavy  step, 
and  with  spirit  dejected  and  eyes  grown  dim,  and 
the  beautiful  long  hair  gray  and  matted,  and  the 
common  clothes  his  jailers  allowed  him  thread 
bare  and  neglected.  And  as  they  passed  the 
flower  beds  before  the  governor's  house,  the  gar 
dener,  trimming  a  bed  of  plants,  turned  from  his 
work,  and,  tossing  his  cap  to  the  ground,  advanced 
with  obeisance,  and  offered  Ludovico  a  spray  of 
honeysuckle,  with  the  single  word  "  Monseigneur." 
Sforza  took  the  flower,  muttered  an  abstracted 
syllable  of  thanks,  and  looked  with  surprise  at  the 
man  who  spoke,  for  the  first  time,  with  the  old 
familiar  homage. 

The  governor  and  his  assembled  lieutenants 
rose  from  their  seats  as  he  entered,  and  their  first 
words  pierced  his  heart  with  a  throb  of  such  pro 
found  emotion  that  the  blood  surged  to  his  brain 
and  the  room  swam  before  his  eyes.  In  that 
single  instant  he  touched  a  whole  long  gamut  of 
tears  and  ecstasy,  of  sadness  and  exultation.  The 
officers  gathered  about,  placed  him  in  the  gov 
ernor's  chair,  and  held  to  his  lips  a  goblet  of  the 
generous  wine  of  Burgundy.  They  bade  him  take 


CONCL  UXION.  o  a i 

courage  and  summon  a  great  spirit,  for  he  was 
free  now, — not  only  free,  but  restored  to  his  duchy. 
He  listened  in  a  dull  stupor  as  the  words  were 
explained  :  King  Louis  had  met  with  reverses  in 
Italy,  and  the  most  effective  counterstroke  was  to 
liberate  the  Duke  of  Milan,  give  him  means  to 
appeal  to  the  popular  faction,  and  thereby  deprive 
the  Spaniards  of  what  their  prowess  had  wrested 
from  the  French. 

Ludovico  collected  himself,  rose  from  his  chair, 
and  with  trembling  lips  thanked  them  for  their 
good  tidings  and  kindly  auguries.  And,  standing 
before  them  in  his  shabby  dress,  there  came  to 
him  again  the  courtly  pride,  and  the  conscious 
power,  and  the  kindling  look  of  the  brilliant  days 
of  his  prime.  And  he  ^said  to  them:  "You  are 
strangers  to  me,  or  rather  should  I  say  that  you 
are  new-found  friends  ;  forgive  me,  then,  if,  in  this 
hour  of  overwhelming  emotion,  my  soul  turns  with 
yearning  to  my  beloved  companions  of  old.  Suffer 
me  to  walk  an  hour  through  the  fields — perchance 
the  image  of  some  of  them  will  rise  to  greet  me." 

And  the  governor  made  way,  and  led  as  far  as 
the  drawbridge,  and  the  duke  went  out  alone  be 
tween  the  sentinels.  He  strolled  aimlessly  across 
the  quiet  meadows,  where  the  bees  were  busy 
amid  the  clover,  and  inhaled  the  freshness  of  the 
free  and  fragrant  air.  It  seemed  to  him  the  most 
beautiful  day  of  his  life.  His  eyes  delighted  in 


282  SFORZA. 

the  glancing  sheen  of  the  river,  the  hazy  clumps  of 
willows,  the  suave  and  graceful  outline  of  the  hills. 
Regrets,  and  lamentations,  and  self-reproach  were 
all  forgotten  now  in  the  thrill  of  life  reclaimed, 
and  in  presence  of  the  throng  of  aspirations  and 
resolves  that  sprang  to  salute  him. 

At  a  bend  in  the  way,  beneath  a  cluster  of  pines, 
was  the  God's-acre  of  a  neighboring  village,  and, 
sauntering  by,  he  stopped  to  lean  at  the  fence  and 
to  look  upon  the  wooden  crosses  crumbling  to 
dust,  and  headstones  bent  awry,  which  marked 
where  slept  those  who  once  were  the  youths  and 
girls  of  the  village  green.  And,  fatigued  by  the 
tumult  of  this  tremendous  day,  he  seated  him 
self  by  the  wayside.  His  head  sank,  and  tears 
gathered  in  his  eyes,  for  tears  had  been  familiar 
through  so  long  suffering  that  they  came  now,  even 
in  the  hour  of  unmeasured  happiness.  And  so, 
beneath  the  deep  shadows  of  the  breathless  pines, 
and  amid  the  intense  silence  of  the  summer  after 
noon,  he  gazed  for  the  last  time  upon  the  pathos 
and  the  glory  of  the  sunset.  And,  as  he  looked, 
an  infinite  exhaustion  dulled  his  thoughts,  and  a 
chill  stole  over  the  sunshine,  and  all  the  pleasant 
things  of  earth  faded  into  dimness.  And  there 
they  found  him  soon  after, — dead  and  at  rest.  A 
sudden  ecstasy,  stronger  than  the  prolonged  grief 
of  years,  had  broken  his  heart  For  once,  joy  had 
been  more  intense  than  sorrow. 


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